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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. sharp — clever
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. root — the cause
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bear — the animal
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. bat — the animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. root — of a plant
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. craft — boats
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bound — obliged
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bat — for 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