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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · toast · rest · swing · date · lie · kid · root

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — bread
  3. swing — in golf
  4. date — the fruit
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rest — a break
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. rock — music
  9. swing — music
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rock — a stone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lie — to recline
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. root — of a word
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — the cause
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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