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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — crushed
  3. row — a line
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. ground — the earth
  6. craft — boats
  7. row — to paddle
  8. cell — in biology
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. root — the cause
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. chest — a box
  19. root — of a word
  20. craft — a skill
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — a phone

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