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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. file — a line of people
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. craft — a skill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — happy
  8. net — for catching
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. toast — bread
  11. file — a tool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. net — in sport
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rush — hurry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. file — a document
  18. content — the amount
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. craft — boats
  22. root — the cause
  23. net — after costs
  24. root — of a plant

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