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

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. net — after costs
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. root — the cause
  8. foot — a measure
  9. net — in sport
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — of a plant
  12. dip — to sink
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. net — for catching
  15. rash — a series
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. foot — part of the body

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