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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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. pit — a hole
  2. last — finally
  3. root — of a word
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — rain
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. shower — to wash
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. root — the cause
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. last — final
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. last — to go on
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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