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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wake — a trail
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. chest — a box
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. root — of a plant
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. saw — the tool
  13. plane — a tool
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. fork — in a road
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. chip — for betting
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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