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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. root — the cause
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cell — a phone
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. can — a tin
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cell — in biology
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — clever
  19. can — to be able to
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — of a plant
  22. can — a tin
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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