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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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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. land — a country
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — final
  5. land — ground
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mark — a grade
  9. root — the cause
  10. mark — a trace
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. staff — employees
  13. kick — in football
  14. staff — a stick
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ground — a position
  17. land — to come down
  18. last — to go on
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — of a word
  23. ground — crushed
  24. staff — employees

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