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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. root — of a plant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rule — a law
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pop — music
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. row — to paddle
  13. face — to confront
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. root — of a word
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. row — a line
  19. sharp — clever
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — government
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wound — an injury

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