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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. root — the cause
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kick — in football
  10. root — of a plant
  11. last — final
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — a short time
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. spell — magic
  18. last — finally
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. root — of a word
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. last — to go on
  24. hand — help

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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