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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — an amount
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. fine — high quality
  8. degree — temperature
  9. cell — a phone
  10. root — the cause
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. root — of a word
  13. staff — employees
  14. degree — from a university
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — a stick
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. root — of a plant
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fine — all right
  23. cell — in biology
  24. staff — employees

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