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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — the cause
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. ball — a dance
  13. season — in sport
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bass — the fish
  20. board — to get on
  21. bass — low music
  22. root — of a plant
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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