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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: squash · root · temple · mate · chip · toast · bat · cabinet

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. toast — bread
  16. bat — the animal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. root — of a word
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. toast — the most admired
  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