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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. root — the cause
  4. lie — to recline
  5. dip — to sink
  6. root — of a word
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. suit — in cards
  11. suit — clothes
  12. root — of a plant
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. ground — a position
  18. drill — army training
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. suit — to fit
  21. face — to point toward
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ground — the earth
  24. season — of the year

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