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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. root — of a plant
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — final
  5. rest — what's left
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. rest — a break
  9. kid — to tease
  10. chest — a box
  11. last — to go on
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a song
  14. face — to confront
  15. last — finally
  16. root — of a word
  17. kid — child
  18. track — a path
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chip — to eat
  21. face — part of the head
  22. chest — of your body
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — for betting

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