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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. root — the cause
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. mark — a trace
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — in a race
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spell — letters
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bark — to shout
  16. scale — in music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. spell — magic
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. root — of a word
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pit — a hole

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