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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. last — final
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. last — to go on
  16. root — the cause
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. last — finally
  20. fine — all right
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — the animal

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