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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kick — in football
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. root — of a word
  7. mark — a trace
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. dip — to sink
  12. prune — to trim
  13. root — the cause
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. root — of a plant
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. kick — with a leg

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