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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — a law
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — government
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mug — to rob
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. root — of a plant
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mug — a face
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ground — a position
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ground — the earth
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. root — the cause

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