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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 116 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. spell — letters
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ground — a position
  6. spell — magic
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — a short time
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. ground — the earth
  13. root — of a word
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — crushed
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. scale — in music
  23. hand — help
  24. root — of a plant

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