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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. object — to protest
  3. root — the cause
  4. object — a thing
  5. root — of a word
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. vault — a safe
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — a friend
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bat — the animal
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. object — an aim
  23. root — of a plant
  24. temple — side of the head

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