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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. shower — rain
  3. pass — a permit
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. root — the cause
  6. present — the time now
  7. bat — the animal
  8. present — a gift
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bore — to drill
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. toast — bread
  17. root — of a word
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. present — there
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. pass — to succeed

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