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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. content — the amount
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. root — the cause
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. roll — a cake
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. root — of a word
  13. fork — in a road
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. roll — a list
  17. wound — an injury
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. wound — an injury
  20. content — happy
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fork — to eat with
  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