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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. root — of a plant
  5. face — to point toward
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. root — the cause
  8. face — part of the head
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ground — a position
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. ground — crushed
  16. object — to protest
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. root — of a word
  19. object — an aim
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — to confront
  22. object — a thing
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. perch — the fish

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