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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. chest — of your body
  4. root — the cause
  5. prune — to trim
  6. root — of a plant
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. cue — a hint
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cue — for pool
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. prune — to trim
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. foot — a measure
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. root — of a word

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