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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. degree — from a university
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. root — the cause
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. root — of a word
  8. snap — to click
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. degree — temperature
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. last — finally
  14. hand — help
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. root — of a plant
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — final
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. last — to go on

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