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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. root — the cause
  3. mug — a face
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. row — a line
  6. cold — not warm
  7. mug — a cup
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rule — a law
  14. root — of a word
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. rule — government
  19. mug — to rob
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cold — an illness
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. perch — for a bird

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