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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. last — final
  3. root — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bass — low music
  8. root — the cause
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — of a word
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mark — a grade
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. mark — a trace
  19. toast — bread
  20. bass — the fish
  21. plane — a tool
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. toast — the most admired

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