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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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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. court — of a king
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spring — a coil
  7. root — the cause
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. net — for catching
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — the season
  15. dip — to sink
  16. court — for sport
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. spring — of water
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hand — help
  21. pit — a hole
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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