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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: root · chest · court · mine · content · foot · toast · staff

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. staff — employees
  3. root — of a plant
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. root — the cause
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chest — of your body
  10. court — of law
  11. foot — a measure
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — employees
  15. content — happy
  16. chest — a box
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. toast — bread
  22. content — the amount
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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