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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. cap — of ice
  3. bear — the animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. bear — the animal
  8. root — the cause
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. sharp — clever
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wound — an injury
  13. club — a group
  14. cap — a lid
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — for golf
  17. root — of a plant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — of a word
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. club — for dancing

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