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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. club — for dancing
  3. root — of a plant
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. rule — government
  7. ground — crushed
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. craft — boats
  10. root — the cause
  11. content — happy
  12. root — of a word
  13. ground — the earth
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. net — after costs
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. net — in sport
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ground — a position
  21. rule — a law
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com