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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. scale — in music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. root — of a word
  5. toast — bread
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. root — of a plant
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. scale — size or range
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. band — a ring
  16. bat — the animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. band — a music group
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. root — the cause

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