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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: chair · dip · root · snap · mug · ruler · pop · cold

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pop — to visit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. root — of a word
  8. pop — music
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pop — soda
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. chair — a leader
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mug — a face
  16. root — the cause
  17. snap — to click
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a cup
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. chair — to sit on

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