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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 120 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitch — completely
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. root — of a plant
  14. fine — all right
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. court — of law
  18. root — the cause
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. plane — a tool
  22. court — for sport
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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