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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. root — of a word
  3. cold — an illness
  4. root — the cause
  5. stock — goods
  6. ground — the earth
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — of a plant
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. bulb — for light
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bulb — for light
  20. ground — crushed
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. cold — not warm
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. stock — shares

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