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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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. mine — for digging
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. root — the cause
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. march — music
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. march — the month
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. band — a music group
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. plane — a tool
  19. root — of a word
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. cabinet — ministers

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