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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. root — of a plant
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. board — to get on
  6. root — of a word
  7. root — the cause
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. ball — a dance
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. kid — child
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — to tease
  15. dip — to sink
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — the animal
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — a committee
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. tube — the underground
  24. chest — of your body

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