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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a plant
  3. spell — a short time
  4. present — a gift
  5. root — the cause
  6. object — an aim
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. root — of a word
  9. spell — letters
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. spell — magic
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. present — the time now
  16. object — a thing
  17. drill — a practice
  18. present — there
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. object — to protest
  24. temple — a place of worship

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