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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bat — the animal
  4. face — to confront
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. toast — bread
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — for catching
  10. current — electric
  11. fine — all right
  12. root — of a plant
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. root — the cause
  16. current — happening now
  17. net — in sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. root — of a word
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. face — part of the head
  22. net — after costs
  23. current — of water
  24. bat — in an idiom

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