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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — certain
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — the cause
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — a box
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. dip — to sink

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