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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. spell — magic
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. root — of a word
  9. toast — bread
  10. wound — an injury
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wound — an injury
  13. game — wild animals
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spell — a short time
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bound — tied together
  22. game — a match
  23. root — the cause
  24. spell — letters

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