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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: ground · face · sharp · mate · snap · stick · cold · root

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. root — of a word
  5. ground — the earth
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ground — crushed
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. mate — to breed
  15. root — of a plant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. face — to confront
  23. ground — a position
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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