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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. root — of a word
  3. court — of law
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. court — for sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — of a king
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bore — to tire
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. root — the cause
  15. chest — of your body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. nail — on a finger

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