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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pass — a permit
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — of a king
  6. face — part of the head
  7. season — in sport
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mark — a grade
  10. root — of a plant
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of law
  13. root — the cause
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chest — of your body
  17. face — to confront
  18. tube — a container
  19. chest — a box
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — a trace
  23. root — of a word
  24. pass — to succeed

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