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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — of a word
  4. foot — a measure
  5. root — the cause
  6. toast — bread
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. firm — a company
  15. root — of a plant
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. firm — decided
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. firm — steady
  23. foot — the bottom
  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