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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: rest · ground · season · chest · toast · dip · root · lie

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. ground — the earth
  3. rest — a break
  4. root — of a word
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. ground — crushed
  7. toast — bread
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — in sport
  10. season — of the year
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. root — the cause
  15. chest — of your body
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. chest — a box
  18. rest — what's left
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. rest — what's left
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. dip — to sink
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ground — a position

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