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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 · root · rest · vault · racket · mine · row · fan

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rest — a break
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — of a word
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. row — to paddle
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. mine — for digging
  12. root — of a plant
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. row — a line
  15. rest — what's left
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. toast — bread
  19. rest — what's left
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. vault — a safe
  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