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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. spell — magic
  3. toast — bread
  4. ground — a position
  5. root — the cause
  6. current — of water
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. current — electric
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. root — of a plant
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. key — in music
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. ground — the earth
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — happening now
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. key — for a lock
  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