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

Word bank: foot · cell · scale · root · bass · kid · dip · rule

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. bass — low music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. dip — to sink
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cell — in biology
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kid — child
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rule — a law
  20. root — of a word
  21. kid — to tease
  22. cell — a phone
  23. rule — government
  24. scale — in music

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