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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. land — a country
  3. cold — an illness
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. root — of a word
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cold — not warm
  11. land — ground
  12. root — the cause
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. staff — employees
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cue — a hint
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. staff — employees
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — to come down
  24. cold — the Cold War

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