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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. face — to point toward
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. root — of a plant
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. spring — of water
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. spring — a coil
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fork — in a road
  18. last — final
  19. root — the cause
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. root — of a word
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. kick — a thrill

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