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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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Word bank
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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chest — of your body
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. root — of a word
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. content — the amount
  10. root — the cause
  11. pitch — completely
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. chest — of your body
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chest — a box
  19. capital — a city
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. content — happy
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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