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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. root — of a plant
  3. tube — the underground
  4. kick — in football
  5. net — in sport
  6. toast — bread
  7. root — of a word
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tube — a container
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. season — of the year
  14. chest — a box
  15. net — after costs
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. season — in sport
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — for catching
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. root — the cause
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kick — with a leg

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