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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. net — after costs
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. stem — to come from
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. net — for catching
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. net — in sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. foot — a measure
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. root — the cause
  22. mine — for digging
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stem — 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