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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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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. fine — all right
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. spell — magic
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. fine — high quality
  20. root — of a word
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bulb — for light
  24. root — the cause

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