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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pop — soda
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cue — a hint
  6. drill — the tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — happy
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — hurry
  15. root — of a word
  16. pop — music
  17. cue — a signal
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pop — to visit
  20. pit — in a race
  21. mine — for digging
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cue — for pool
  24. content — the amount

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