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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: chair · temple · pop · chest · present · root · net · racket

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. present — there
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. present — the time now
  5. net — after costs
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. root — the cause
  8. net — for catching
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a word
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chair — a leader
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pop — music
  16. present — a gift
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. root — of a plant
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chest — a box
  21. pop — soda
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. net — in sport
  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