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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rock — music
  5. root — of a word
  6. kid — child
  7. bat — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. rock — a stone
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. root — the cause
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — to confront
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. face — part of the head
  21. kid — to tease
  22. land — a country
  23. land — ground
  24. root — of a plant

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