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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. root — of a plant
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chest — a box
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bat — the animal
  15. root — of a word
  16. root — the cause
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. rock — music
  19. dip — to sink
  20. spell — magic
  21. chest — of your body
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. chest — of your body
  24. perch — the fish

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