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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 120 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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. field — a subject
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. root — the cause
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. root — of a word
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chest — a box
  16. root — of a plant
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mark — a trace

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