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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — soda
  6. can — a tin
  7. dip — to sink
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. root — the cause
  13. cap — a lid
  14. can — a tin
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a word
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cap — of ice
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cap — a hat

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