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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. root — the cause
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pop — music
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. net — in sport
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — for catching
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pop — soda
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wake — a trail
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — rain
  21. net — after costs
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — of a word
  24. shower — to wash

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