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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. present — a gift
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. face — to confront
  6. can — to be able to
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. can — a tin
  9. root — the cause
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mine — for digging
  13. date — the fruit
  14. present — the time now
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — to sink
  19. face — part of the head
  20. present — there
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. can — a tin
  24. date — on the calendar

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