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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. root — the cause
  6. ball — a dance
  7. club — for golf
  8. pound — a weight
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chest — of your body
  14. content — happy
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. row — a line
  17. fine — high quality
  18. content — the amount
  19. club — for dancing
  20. row — to paddle
  21. root — of a word
  22. ball — a great time
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. club — a group

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