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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. mate — a partner
  3. foot — a measure
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. root — of a plant
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ground — the earth
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — the cause
  11. cell — in biology
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — to breed
  14. chair — a leader
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cell — a phone
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. root — of a word
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. chair — a professorship

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