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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. mate — a partner
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — low music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. root — the cause
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fall — the season
  14. saw — the tool
  15. net — after costs
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fall — to drop
  18. chest — of your body
  19. net — for catching
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — in sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bass — the fish

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