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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 124 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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chest — of your body
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. mark — a grade
  7. file — a line of people
  8. shower — to wash
  9. mark — a trace
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. file — a document
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — a box
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. root — the cause
  24. chest — of your body

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