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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chest — of your body
  6. root — of a word
  7. pit — a hole
  8. root — the cause
  9. content — the amount
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. ball — a great time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. row — to paddle
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. kick — in football
  21. pit — in a race
  22. content — happy
  23. chest — a box
  24. row — a line

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