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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. mine — for digging
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. root — the cause
  14. ground — the earth
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. root — of a plant
  20. ground — a position
  21. net — in sport
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. snap — to click
  24. root — of a word

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