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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. last — to go on
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. last — final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. last — finally
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. land — a country
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. face — part of the head
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — ground
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — to come down
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wound — an injury

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