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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rest — a break
  6. key — in music
  7. root — of a plant
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — the cause
  12. root — of a word
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chest — of your body
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bass — low music
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. snap — to click
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tear — from crying
  24. key — for a lock

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