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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 116 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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. root — the cause
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. squash — to crush
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. field — farmland
  13. dip — to sink
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — a subject
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. squash — the sport
  20. mine — for digging
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. sharp — clever
  24. field — for sport

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