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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. root — of a word
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. game — wild animals
  7. face — to confront
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fall — to drop
  10. charge — in control
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a lid
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. charge — a price
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. root — the cause
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kick — in football
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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