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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — low music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. hand — help
  9. root — of a plant
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. root — the cause
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. chest — of your body
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bass — the fish
  20. dip — to sink
  21. chest — a box
  22. hand — in cards
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. root — of a word

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