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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. saw — the tool
  3. ground — crushed
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rule — a law
  7. root — of a plant
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rule — government
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mug — a face
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. mug — a cup
  16. hand — in cards
  17. saw — the tool
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bass — low music
  21. ground — a position
  22. hand — help
  23. mug — to rob
  24. root — the cause

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