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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bat — the animal
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. club — a group
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — to confront
  9. present — a gift
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. dip — to sink
  13. club — for golf
  14. present — the time now
  15. root — the cause
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. root — of a word
  19. present — there
  20. root — of a plant
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. tube — a container

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