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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rock — music
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kid — child
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — of a plant
  15. rock — a stone
  16. face — to confront
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. scale — in music
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. root — the cause

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