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

Word bank: bat · pit · dip · chip · tube · drill · root · deal

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. deal — to handle
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — a hole
  5. root — the cause
  6. tube — a container
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. pit — in a race
  12. drill — the tool
  13. chip — for betting
  14. dip — to sink
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. root — of a word
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. tube — the underground

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