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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fall — to drop
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fall — the season
  14. cap — a hat
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tear — to rip
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. fall — to drop
  21. bat — the animal
  22. ground — a position
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fine — all right

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