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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 116 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: ground · content · pitcher · scale · deal · straw · mate · root

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. mate — a partner
  3. deal — to handle
  4. scale — size or range
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. content — the amount
  7. scale — in music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mate — to breed
  12. content — happy
  13. root — of a plant
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — a position
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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