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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 120 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: mate · nail · chest · cold · lash · root · content · mouse

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. root — the cause
  5. root — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — the amount
  8. root — of a word
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. chest — a box
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. chest — of your body
  19. content — happy
  20. cold — not warm
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mate — a partner
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mouse — for a computer

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