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

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. root — of a word
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — the cause
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pitch — completely
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. bound — obliged
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — tied together
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bulb — for light
  19. face — to point toward
  20. file — a document
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. bound — certain
  24. pitch — a sports field

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