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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hand — help
  4. file — a line of people
  5. ground — a position
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. file — a document
  8. root — of a plant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. hand — in cards
  11. ground — crushed
  12. root — the cause
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. mate — to breed
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — a partner
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pitch — completely
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. file — a 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