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

Word bank: chest · lie · root · rest · snap · rash · fine · calf

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to click
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rest — what's left
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fine — high quality
  14. chest — a box
  15. root — the cause
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rest — a break
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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