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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ball — a dance
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — a friend
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cap — a lid
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. root — of a word
  14. craft — boats
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a great time
  18. craft — a skill
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mate — to breed
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mate — a partner

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