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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — of a plant
  4. chest — of your body
  5. march — music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. root — the cause
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. root — of a word
  14. march — the month
  15. lie — to recline
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — a box
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — a face
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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