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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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468
Word bank
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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. root — the cause
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. toast — bread
  8. wake — a trail
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. march — music
  16. rash — a series
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. key — the most important part
  19. root — of a plant
  20. root — of a word
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. key — in music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. march — the month

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