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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — low music
  6. degree — temperature
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. degree — from a university
  10. root — the cause
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. face — part of the head
  13. root — of a word
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stock — goods
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. racket — for tennis

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