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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wake — a trail
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fall — the season
  9. root — the cause
  10. season — of the year
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. root — of a word
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fall — to drop
  15. root — of a plant
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. season — in sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — a position
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. sharp — with an edge

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