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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — to handle
  5. face — part of the head
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. net — for catching
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. game — wild animals
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. mate — a partner
  19. root — of a word
  20. net — after costs
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — to shout

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