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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. spring — the season
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ground — a position
  10. spring — of water
  11. ground — the earth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. key — in music
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. ground — crushed
  17. pitch — completely
  18. ball — a dance
  19. root — the cause
  20. kick — in football
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a great time
  24. key — the most important part

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