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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spring — the season
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. season — in sport
  15. spring — a coil
  16. root — the cause
  17. kick — in football
  18. cue — for pool
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. root — of a word
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. foot — the bottom

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