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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. clip — for paper
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lean — to bend
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mug — a face
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. game — a match
  15. clip — to cut
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mug — a cup
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mug — to rob
  24. lean — thin

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