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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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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: drill · safe · ground · march · root · arm · foot · cue

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. root — of a plant
  3. march — the month
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. root — of a word
  7. ground — the earth
  8. drill — the tool
  9. march — music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. cue — for pool
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. root — the cause
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. ground — crushed
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. march — the month
  23. ground — a position
  24. safe — a strongbox

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