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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. root — the cause
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. root — of a word
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. chest — a box
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bat — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. deal — to handle
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. plane — a tool
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chest — of your body

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