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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. season — in sport
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. fall — the season
  12. row — a line
  13. net — after costs
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cue — a signal
  16. root — the cause
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — a hint
  22. pound — a weight
  23. root — of a word
  24. net — in sport

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