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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. swing — to play on
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — the cause
  7. chair — a leader
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — of a plant
  12. foot — a measure
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. chest — a box
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chest — of your body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. swing — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. trunk — of a car

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