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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. present — there
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — the cause
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. track — a song
  10. cold — not warm
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. plane — a tool
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cold — an illness
  17. track — to keep track
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. present — the time now
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. root — of a word
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. present — a gift
  24. track — a path

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