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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: root · fall · scale · calf · mark · chest · deal · cue

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cue — a hint
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cue — a signal
  10. root — of a word
  11. scale — in music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. mark — a trace
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. root — the cause
  21. chest — a box
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. deal — to handle

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