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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. snap — to click
  3. pop — soda
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pop — music
  6. root — the cause
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. root — of a word
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stock — shares
  11. degree — from a university
  12. dip — to sink
  13. degree — an amount
  14. pop — to visit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — goods
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a tool
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. file — a document
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — to roll

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