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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. mug — to rob
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spring — of water
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — finally
  9. ball — a great time
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — a coil
  13. last — to go on
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mug — a cup
  17. ball — a dance
  18. last — final
  19. face — part of the head
  20. shower — rain
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. mug — a face
  24. face — to confront

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