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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: root · toast · can · kick · temple · cold · sharp · clip

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. cold — not warm
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — a video
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. kick — in football
  8. sharp — clever
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. clip — to cut
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. root — of a plant
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. root — the cause
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. clip — for paper
  21. can — a tin
  22. toast — bread
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cold — an illness

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