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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pop — music
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. chest — of your body
  7. root — of a plant
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pop — soda
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bear — the animal
  17. capital — money
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. root — of a word
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pop — to visit
  24. capital — a city

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