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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. chest — of your body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. root — the cause
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. root — of a word
  10. bore — to drill
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chest — a box
  14. root — of a plant
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — a line
  20. season — of the year
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. chest — of your body
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. toast — bread

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