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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. court — of law
  4. ground — crushed
  5. root — of a word
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. ground — a position
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. root — of a plant
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — of a king
  17. board — to get on
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. root — the cause
  22. content — happy
  23. court — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

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