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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bat — the animal
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rash — hasty
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. squash — the sport
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. saw — the tool

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