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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. root — of a plant
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — humankind
  8. season — of the year
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. staff — employees
  12. object — an aim
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. race — the arms race
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. race — a contest
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a word
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — to protest
  24. staff — a stick

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