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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rest — what's left
  5. foot — a measure
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. root — the cause
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. root — of a word
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. face — part of the head
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mine — for digging
  18. root — of a plant
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. rest — a break

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