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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. net — after costs
  4. fall — to drop
  5. net — in sport
  6. present — a gift
  7. net — for catching
  8. present — the time now
  9. ground — a position
  10. root — the cause
  11. wake — a trail
  12. ground — crushed
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. root — of a word
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bass — low music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — of a plant
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bass — the fish
  23. present — there
  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