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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — to confront
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pit — in a race
  6. face — to point toward
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — a group
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pit — a hole
  13. root — the cause
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. field — for sport
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. field — farmland
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. field — a subject
  22. face — part of the head
  23. club — for golf
  24. cell — a phone

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