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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. root — the cause
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — music
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. root — of a word
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. saw — the tool
  21. key — in music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kick — in football
  24. root — of a plant

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