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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · jam · bowl · land · mark · ground · cue · dip

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. land — ground
  3. cue — for pool
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. land — to come down
  9. mark — a grade
  10. cue — a signal
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. root — the cause
  13. ground — a position
  14. dip — to sink
  15. land — a country
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mark — a trace
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. ground — crushed
  23. root — of a word
  24. jam — a tight spot

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