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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. game — a match
  8. root — of a word
  9. wake — a trail
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. toast — bread
  12. staff — a stick
  13. game — wild animals
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. chest — of your body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — the cause
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chest — a box
  22. face — to confront
  23. staff — employees
  24. stand — to bear

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