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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. season — of the year
  3. root — of a word
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. chip — to eat
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mark — a grade
  16. row — a line
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. root — the cause
  23. season — in sport
  24. face — part of the head

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