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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tube · perch · mug · bat · root · pit · ground · last

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. last — final
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. root — the cause
  9. last — finally
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. root — of a word
  13. tube — the underground
  14. perch — the fish
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — the animal
  19. ground — a position
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tube — a container
  22. pit — in a race
  23. last — to go on
  24. tube — in a tire

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