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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spell — magic
  7. root — of a word
  8. cell — a phone
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — to fit
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mate — a partner
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. root — the cause
  17. cell — in biology
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. suit — clothes
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. spell — letters
  23. suit — in cards
  24. root — of a plant

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