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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bear — the animal
  3. squash — the sport
  4. game — a match
  5. root — the cause
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — a grade
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. root — of a plant
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. root — of a word
  16. game — wild animals
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. net — after costs
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. squash — to crush
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chest — a box

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