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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — in cards
  4. march — music
  5. firm — a company
  6. ground — a position
  7. firm — steady
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. firm — decided
  11. root — the cause
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hand — help

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