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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 120 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. drill — army training
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. hand — help
  5. dip — to sink
  6. root — the cause
  7. pop — soda
  8. root — of a plant
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — to visit
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. track — a path
  15. root — of a word
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a song
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. drill — the tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. safe — a strongbox

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