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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. root — of a plant
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. toast — bread
  9. snap — to click
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. land — a country
  12. root — the cause
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. can — a tin
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. root — of a word
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. hand — help
  21. land — to come down
  22. can — to be able to
  23. pass — a permit
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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