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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fine — all right
  4. root — of a word
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — high quality
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitch — completely
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. content — happy
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. sharp — clever
  16. root — of a plant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. ground — a position
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. ground — the earth
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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