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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pit — in a race
  3. root — of a word
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. mate — a partner
  6. fall — to drop
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mate — a friend
  9. game — a match
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fall — the season
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. mark — a grade
  15. dip — to sink
  16. prune — to trim
  17. root — the cause
  18. mark — a trace
  19. root — of a plant
  20. game — wild animals
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fall — to drop
  24. prune — the fruit

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