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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — of a plant
  7. staff — employees
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. root — the cause
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — of law
  15. row — a line
  16. root — of a word
  17. chest — a box
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. row — to paddle
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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