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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.

Make a worksheet

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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. stand — to bear
  5. root — of a plant
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. root — of a word
  9. kid — to tease
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — soda
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. root — the cause
  22. toast — bread
  23. kid — child
  24. stand — for spectators

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