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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. spell — a short time
  4. charge — in control
  5. root — of a plant
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pop — music
  10. land — to come down
  11. pop — soda
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. root — the cause
  15. dip — to sink
  16. charge — a price
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — of a word
  19. degree — an amount
  20. squash — to crush
  21. degree — temperature
  22. squash — the sport
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spell — letters

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