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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — there
  3. ground — a position
  4. root — of a word
  5. present — a gift
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. hand — help
  8. staff — a stick
  9. ground — crushed
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. present — the time now
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. root — the cause
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. staff — employees
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — part of the body

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