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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. file — a document
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. toast — bread
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. root — the cause
  12. date — the fruit
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rush — hurry
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mate — to breed
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. kid — to tease
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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