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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — the earth
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. content — happy
  12. root — the cause
  13. snap — to click
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rash — a series
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rash — hasty
  22. content — the amount
  23. bass — low music
  24. root — of a word

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