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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. pop — music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. root — the cause
  9. pop — soda
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. drill — army training
  16. wound — an injury
  17. chip — to eat
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — of a word
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. chip — for betting
  23. dip — to sink
  24. drill — a practice

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