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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: toast · dip · root · capital · firm · snap · date · roll

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. firm — a company
  4. capital — a city
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. roll — a cake
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. roll — a list
  9. firm — steady
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. dip — to sink
  13. toast — bread
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. root — of a word
  17. capital — money
  18. root — the cause
  19. date — the fruit
  20. firm — decided
  21. root — of a plant
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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