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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. track — to keep track
  5. root — of a plant
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. foot — a measure
  8. game — a match
  9. root — the cause
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rock — music
  12. track — a song
  13. scale — size or range
  14. scale — in music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a path
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rock — a stone
  20. spring — a coil
  21. root — of a word
  22. chest — a box
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — of water

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