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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. track — a song
  3. root — the cause
  4. staff — employees
  5. ground — crushed
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ground — a position
  13. track — a path
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ball — a dance
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — a stick
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. arm — a part of something

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