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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. staff — employees
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — the earth
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. staff — a stick
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — crushed
  11. staff — employees
  12. hand — help
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. object — an aim
  15. chest — a box
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. chest — of your body
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chest — of your body
  22. object — a thing
  23. snap — to click
  24. object — to protest

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