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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cap — a hat
  3. ground — crushed
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — a position
  6. root — the cause
  7. object — an aim
  8. content — happy
  9. object — a thing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. content — the amount
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. scale — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. object — to protest
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — of ice
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cap — a lid

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