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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · mug · sharp · racket · dip · cold · leaves · kid

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. dip — to sink
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — to rob
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. sharp — clever
  11. root — the cause
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a plant
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cold — not warm
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. root — of a word
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mug — a face
  24. leaves — of a tree

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