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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pit — in a race
  3. root — the cause
  4. spell — a short time
  5. chip — to eat
  6. root — of a plant
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. spring — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. spring — a coil
  13. field — a subject
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. root — of a word
  17. spell — magic
  18. press — to push
  19. spring — of water
  20. press — a publisher
  21. chip — for betting
  22. field — farmland
  23. spell — letters
  24. press — newspapers

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