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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. root — of a plant
  3. fall — the season
  4. rush — hurry
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — a position
  10. board — a committee
  11. ground — the earth
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — to drop
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fall — to drop
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — to get on
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — a grade

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