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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. craft — boats
  5. kid — to tease
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. toast — bread
  8. land — ground
  9. root — the cause
  10. squash — the sport
  11. root — of a word
  12. snap — to click
  13. craft — a skill
  14. land — a country
  15. key — in music
  16. root — of a plant
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. kid — child
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. squash — to crush
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — the most important part
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. land — to come down

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