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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. net — after costs
  5. net — in sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. root — of a plant
  8. content — the amount
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ground — the earth
  11. content — happy
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. chair — a leader
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — the cause
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. root — of a word
  21. snap — to click
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. ground — crushed

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