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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pop — music
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. toast — bread
  9. spell — a short time
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. pop — soda
  12. spell — letters
  13. kick — in football
  14. root — of a plant
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. spell — magic
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. dip — to sink
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. root — the cause
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. toast — the most admired

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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