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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. root — of a plant
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. ground — the earth
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. root — of a word
  15. row — a line
  16. root — the cause
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. snap — to click
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pass — a permit
  23. ground — crushed
  24. row — to paddle

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