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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — music
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cell — in biology
  9. ball — a dance
  10. plane — a tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. root — the cause
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cell — a phone
  16. ball — a great time
  17. rock — a stone
  18. root — of a word
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. root — of a plant
  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