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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. spell — a short time
  3. root — of a plant
  4. can — a tin
  5. row — a line
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. sharp — clever
  9. spell — magic
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. root — the cause
  14. can — a tin
  15. spell — letters
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. root — of a word
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ground — the earth

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