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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. root — of a word
  3. game — wild animals
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. root — the cause
  7. bore — to tire
  8. chest — a box
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a document
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. file — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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