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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. root — of a word
  4. kick — in football
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — the cause
  8. chip — to eat
  9. craft — boats
  10. band — a music group
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. mark — a grade
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chest — a box
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. craft — a skill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chest — of your body
  24. band — a ring

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