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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. board — a committee
  3. root — the cause
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. pop — soda
  7. drill — the tool
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. drill — army training
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mark — a grade
  15. board — to get on
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mark — a trace
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. drill — a practice
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  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