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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. root — the cause
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — of a king
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — rain
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. press — to push
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — a grade
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. press — newspapers
  23. dip — to sink
  24. press — a publisher

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