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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ground — a position
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ground — the earth
  5. drill — the tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — for a lock
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — army training
  10. rash — a series
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ground — crushed
  15. key — the most important part
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bass — low music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. root — of a word
  21. key — in music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. perch — the fish
  24. root — the cause

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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