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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 120 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. root — the cause
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rock — a stone
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. scale — in music
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. foot — a measure
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. root — of a plant
  19. kick — in football
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. root — of a word
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fine — high quality

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