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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. root — of a word
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. chest — of your body
  15. track — a song
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. chest — a box
  24. track — a path

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