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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rock — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. date — the fruit
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rule — a law
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rule — government
  24. mine — for digging

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