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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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. bowl — a dish
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. root — of a word
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. present — the time now
  13. root — the cause
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — for paper
  17. present — a gift
  18. present — there
  19. clip — a video
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — of a king
  24. clip — to cut

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