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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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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: root · bass · rest · ground · kid · safe · rash · drill

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ground — crushed
  3. root — of a word
  4. rash — hasty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. ground — the earth
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. rest — a break
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. root — the cause
  12. ground — a position
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — low music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rest — what's left
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — what's left
  24. drill — army training

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