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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — a hole
  5. clip — a video
  6. court — for sport
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. court — of a king
  13. root — of a plant
  14. clip — to cut
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. root — of a word
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. root — the cause
  23. pass — a permit
  24. clip — for paper

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