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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a plant
  5. staff — a stick
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. staff — employees
  10. content — the amount
  11. staff — employees
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — a box
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. root — of a word
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. perch — the fish
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — part of the body

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