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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. root — the cause
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. root — of a word
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. stand — to bear
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. mark — a trace
  16. land — to come down
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. root — of a plant
  21. craft — boats
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. craft — a skill
  24. toast — bread

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