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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — letters
  7. ball — a great time
  8. root — of a plant
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. spell — a short time
  11. root — of a word
  12. deal — to handle
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. root — the cause
  20. fine — all right
  21. ball — a dance
  22. spell — magic
  23. fine — high quality
  24. calf — of the leg

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