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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. pop — soda
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — a position
  9. pop — music
  10. ground — crushed
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. root — the cause
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pop — to visit
  18. root — of a word
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — a video
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. toast — bread
  23. ground — the earth
  24. clip — for paper

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