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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — the earth
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. mate — to breed
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. season — of the year
  16. root — of a plant
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — the cause
  19. content — the amount
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. ground — a position
  23. foot — a measure
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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