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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. firm — steady
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. firm — a company
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — the month
  10. dip — to sink
  11. root — of a plant
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. march — the month
  16. root — the cause
  17. mate — a partner
  18. shower — rain
  19. march — music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mate — a friend
  22. firm — decided
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. root — of a word

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