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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. root — of a plant
  3. clip — to cut
  4. root — the cause
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. clip — for paper
  10. vault — a safe
  11. clip — a video
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. root — of a word
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chest — a box
  24. bat — the animal

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