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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. fine — high quality
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. root — of a plant
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fine — all right
  10. bound — certain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. row — a line
  15. root — of a word
  16. dip — to sink
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — a measure
  19. root — the cause
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. perch — the fish

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