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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 116 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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468
Word bank
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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. kick — in football
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — the earth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ground — a position
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. ground — crushed
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. root — the cause
  13. mate — to breed
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pass — a permit
  24. present — the time now

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