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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. degree — from a university
  5. firm — steady
  6. rash — hasty
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cold — not warm
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. firm — decided
  15. dip — to sink
  16. firm — a company
  17. root — the cause
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. degree — an amount
  21. root — of a word
  22. squash — to crush
  23. root — of a plant
  24. squash — the sport

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