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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. root — the cause
  3. field — a subject
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. deal — to handle
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. field — for sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — army training
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. field — farmland
  19. mark — a grade
  20. root — of a plant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mine — for digging

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