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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. stand — to bear
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — a face
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — of a plant
  13. ground — crushed
  14. snap — to click
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. key — in music
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. key — for a lock
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. ground — a position
  23. root — the cause
  24. cold — an illness

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