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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tube — a container
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. root — the cause
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. tube — the underground
  15. root — of a plant
  16. mate — a friend
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mate — to breed
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. court — of law
  22. kid — child
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kid — to tease

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