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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 would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. toast — bread
  6. hand — help
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chip — for betting
  9. last — final
  10. root — the cause
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. root — of a word
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. last — to go on
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chip — to eat

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