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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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Word bank
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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: bat · dip · rash · scale · cap · root · toast · rest

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. rest — what's left
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rest — a break
  8. root — of a word
  9. dip — to sink
  10. root — the cause
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. toast — bread
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — a series
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cap — of ice

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