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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 120 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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. vault — a safe
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — in cards
  7. mug — a cup
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mug — to rob
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — a face
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. root — the cause

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