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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. charge — electricity
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. root — of a plant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. root — the cause
  12. content — happy
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. charge — in control
  15. root — of a word
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chair — a leader
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. charge — a price
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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