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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. pop — to visit
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. rush — hurry
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. root — of a plant
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. root — the cause
  15. pop — soda
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. snap — to click
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. pop — music
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. date — on the calendar

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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