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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — to confront
  6. root — of a word
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. root — the cause
  9. drill — the tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. vault — a safe
  14. drill — a practice
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pop — music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. scale — size or range
  19. drill — army training
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — to visit
  22. scale — in music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pop — soda

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