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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. foot — a measure
  3. chest — a box
  4. present — the time now
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. press — newspapers
  11. root — the cause
  12. press — to push
  13. present — a gift
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chest — of your body
  18. root — of a word
  19. shower — rain
  20. present — there
  21. root — of a plant
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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