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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 120 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. root — the cause
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. ground — crushed
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cold — an illness
  9. ground — the earth
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cold — not warm
  12. march — music
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. root — of a word
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — a position
  24. march — the month

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