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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitch — completely
  7. drill — army training
  8. root — of a word
  9. drill — a practice
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. dip — to sink
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. drill — the tool
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mark — a grade
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. snap — to click
  21. mine — for digging
  22. branch — a division
  23. root — the cause
  24. mark — to pay attention

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