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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. file — a document
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. chest — of your body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. staff — a stick
  9. board — to get on
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — of a word
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — a box
  16. root — the cause
  17. board — a committee
  18. file — a tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pass — a permit
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. staff — employees

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