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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. root — the cause
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ground — the earth
  5. cap — a lid
  6. root — of a plant
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — low music
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. current — electric
  11. bass — the fish
  12. root — of a word
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. current — of water
  17. hand — help
  18. stock — shares
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stock — goods
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — in cards
  24. bass — the instrument

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