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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 124 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. root — of a word
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. dip — to sink
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mark — a trace
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. chest — of your body
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mark — a grade
  13. roll — a cake
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. root — the cause
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. chest — a box
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. patient — a sick person

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