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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. cap — of ice
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chest — of your body
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. chest — of your body
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chest — a box
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pit — in a race
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. root — of a word
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. cap — a hat
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — for catching
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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