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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. pop — to visit
  5. root — the cause
  6. swing — to play on
  7. rule — a law
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. root — of a plant
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pop — soda
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — government
  16. swing — music
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mark — a grade
  19. root — of a word
  20. chest — a box
  21. swing — in golf
  22. pop — music
  23. jam — in traffic
  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