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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — a position
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — hurry
  11. root — of a plant
  12. scale — size or range
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. scale — in music
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. march — the month
  17. content — happy
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — music
  23. root — the cause
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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