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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: cue · dip · last · face · content · pit · root · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cue — for pool
  3. face — to confront
  4. dip — to sink
  5. face — to point toward
  6. last — to go on
  7. content — the amount
  8. pit — a hole
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pit — in a race
  11. last — finally
  12. root — the cause
  13. cue — a hint
  14. content — happy
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bore — to drill
  17. root — of a plant
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. last — final
  22. cue — a signal
  23. root — of a word
  24. dip — to dunk

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