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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. cap — a lid
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — crushed
  14. cap — a hat
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. root — the cause
  19. cap — of ice
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. drill — a practice
  22. lie — to recline
  23. root — of a word
  24. staff — a stick

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