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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. root — of a word
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cue — for pool
  8. squash — to crush
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. can — a tin
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — a tin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. chest — a box
  17. face — to confront
  18. can — to be able to
  19. face — part of the head
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. face — to point toward
  22. root — of a plant
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chest — of your body

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