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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — music
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. drill — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. cue — for pool
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — a hint
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cue — a signal
  15. root — of a word
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. kick — in football
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — music
  20. chest — a box
  21. staff — employees
  22. pop — soda
  23. rock — a stone
  24. drill — a practice

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