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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. rash — a series
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. file — a document
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bound — tied together
  7. file — a tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. ground — a position
  14. bound — certain
  15. ground — crushed
  16. shower — rain
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bound — obliged
  20. root — the cause
  21. rush — hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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