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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. present — there
  3. kick — in football
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. root — of a plant
  6. present — the time now
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cue — a hint
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cold — an illness
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cold — not warm
  20. present — a gift
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. pop — music

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