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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a word
  3. content — the amount
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. content — happy
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — a line
  13. cell — a phone
  14. dip — to sink
  15. file — a document
  16. row — to paddle
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. root — of a plant
  24. file — a tool

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