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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. stand — to bear
  4. root — of a word
  5. face — part of the head
  6. shower — rain
  7. root — the cause
  8. board — a committee
  9. root — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fine — all right
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. shower — to wash
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. board — to get on
  24. kick — in football

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