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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. snap — to click
  3. march — music
  4. ground — crushed
  5. root — the cause
  6. suit — to fit
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. ground — the earth
  9. suit — clothes
  10. clip — a video
  11. root — of a word
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ground — a position
  17. march — the month
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. clip — for paper
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fine — all right
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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