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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. root — of a plant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. root — the cause
  7. hand — in cards
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — to sink
  10. prune — to trim
  11. drill — army training
  12. prune — to trim
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. degree — an amount
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. pass — a permit
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. game — wild animals

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