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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. hand — help
  3. root — the cause
  4. toast — bread
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. root — of a word
  15. can — to be able to
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. can — a tin
  18. row — a line
  19. chest — a box
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pass — a permit
  22. can — a tin
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. chest — of your body

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