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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · chest · safe · root · bat · jam · mark · hide

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bat — the animal
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. object — an aim
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — to protest
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. root — the cause
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chest — a box
  18. object — a thing
  19. root — of a word
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chest — of your body

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