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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. net — for catching
  3. root — of a word
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. net — in sport
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. face — part of the head
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. face — to point toward
  14. net — after costs
  15. root — the cause
  16. snap — to click
  17. face — to confront
  18. chair — a professorship

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