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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — government
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. content — the amount
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — the cause
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rule — a law
  18. content — happy

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