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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. root — the cause
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ground — the earth
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. mine — for digging
  8. ground — a position
  9. press — to push
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. root — of a word
  14. season — in sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. root — of a plant
  17. face — to point toward
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. press — a publisher
  21. face — to confront
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. season — of the year
  24. ground — crushed

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