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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. tube — the underground
  3. club — for dancing
  4. root — the cause
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chest — a box
  9. suit — in cards
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chest — of your body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. root — of a plant
  14. club — for golf
  15. face — to confront
  16. date — the fruit
  17. club — a group
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tube — a container
  20. suit — to fit
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. root — of a word
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bat — in an idiom

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