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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. toast — bread
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mate — a partner
  6. land — a country
  7. row — a line
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mate — a friend
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — to breed
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. land — ground
  19. band — a music group
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — to come down
  24. temple — a place of worship

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