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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. root — of a word
  4. spell — magic
  5. root — of a plant
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. object — to protest
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pass — a permit
  18. root — the cause
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — letters

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