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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. drill — a practice
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. ground — the earth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. face — to confront
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pass — a permit
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. scale — size or range
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. face — to point toward
  16. object — an aim
  17. ground — a position
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. drill — army training

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