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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. rest — what's left
  3. ground — a position
  4. root — of a plant
  5. court — for sport
  6. drill — army training
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — of a king
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. root — the cause
  13. face — part of the head
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. face — to point toward
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rest — a break
  19. toast — bread
  20. root — of a word
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. court — of law
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mine — belonging to me

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