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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. key — for a lock
  3. stand — to bear
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — in music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. chest — of your body
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bear — the animal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. root — of a plant
  14. content — happy
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. tube — a container
  18. chest — a box
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. content — the amount
  24. bear — the animal

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