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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — the cause
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. snap — to click
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. chest — a box
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cell — in biology
  14. root — of a plant
  15. key — for a lock
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. root — of a word
  19. deal — to handle
  20. key — in music
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. rash — a series
  24. cell — a phone

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