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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. wake — a trail
  3. craft — boats
  4. root — the cause
  5. rule — government
  6. scale — size or range
  7. root — of a plant
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. root — of a word
  10. net — for catching
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — a skill
  14. net — after costs
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. scale — in music
  24. shower — rain

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