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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — to go on
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mug — to rob
  8. last — final
  9. face — to confront
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cap — a hat
  12. root — the cause
  13. game — wild animals
  14. last — finally
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mug — a cup
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a word
  20. drill — army training
  21. mug — a face
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cap — of ice

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