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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. root — the cause
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. perch — the fish
  17. root — of a word
  18. ground — a position
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ground — crushed
  21. lean — thin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. chest — a box
  24. perch — for a bird

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