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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. chest — a box
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — the amount
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. root — the cause
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rash — a series
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. root — of a word

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