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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. dip — to sink
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. toast — bread
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. scale — in music
  9. clip — for paper
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. clip — to cut
  13. scale — size or range
  14. roll — a list
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. roll — a cake
  18. clip — a video
  19. root — of a plant
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. root — the cause
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. root — of a word
  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