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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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. spell — a short time
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. court — of a king
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitch — completely
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spell — letters
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spell — magic
  19. root — of a word
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to sink
  24. court — for sport

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