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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. root — of a plant
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. mug — a face
  5. root — of a word
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a list
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a cup
  11. chest — a box
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mug — to rob
  14. chest — of your body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. tear — to rip
  17. roll — a cake
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — the cause
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chest — of your body

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