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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. drill — a practice
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — of a plant
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — in cards
  10. fine — all right
  11. land — ground
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — happy
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. drill — army training
  17. drill — the tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pit — in a race
  20. hand — help
  21. pit — a hole
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pit — a fruit stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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