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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. root — of a plant
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — the cause
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. row — a line

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