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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pass — a permit
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mine — for digging
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. root — of a plant
  8. pitch — completely
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. root — the cause
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pop — music
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pop — soda

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