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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spring — of water
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. mate — a partner
  8. root — of a word
  9. spell — magic
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spell — letters
  13. root — the cause
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. fall — to drop
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spring — the season
  22. mate — to breed
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. spring — a coil

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