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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: chest · cue · bat · root · cap · fall · wake · kick

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. root — the cause
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fall — to drop
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chest — a box
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bat — the animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. root — of a word
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fall — the season
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cue — a signal
  24. kick — in football

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