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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cap — of ice
  4. field — a subject
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. root — the cause
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. dip — to sink
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. field — farmland
  15. can — a tin
  16. field — for sport
  17. cap — a lid
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. root — of a word
  20. rush — hurry
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cap — a hat
  23. root — of a plant
  24. temple — a place of worship

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