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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. root — of a plant
  6. staff — employees
  7. rock — music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. staff — a stick
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. kid — to tease
  13. shower — rain
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. track — a song
  21. kid — child
  22. track — to keep track
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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