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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. ground — crushed
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. present — there
  5. last — final
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. present — a gift
  13. ground — a position
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. ground — the earth
  21. root — the cause
  22. bore — to drill
  23. root — of a word
  24. date — the fruit

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