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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. root — the cause
  3. bore — to tire
  4. net — for catching
  5. root — of a plant
  6. land — a country
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. net — in sport
  9. land — ground
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. season — of the year
  13. net — after costs
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. dip — to sink
  17. land — to come down
  18. root — of a word
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. season — in sport
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. date — the fruit

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