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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — a container
  4. chest — a box
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. key — for a lock
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. root — the cause
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — of a word
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rush — hurry
  18. key — in music
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chest — of your body

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