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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. root — the cause
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mug — to rob
  7. ground — a position
  8. mug — a face
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pop — to visit
  13. swing — to play on
  14. ground — the earth
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pop — music
  17. root — of a word
  18. swing — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. bat — the animal
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. fall — the season

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