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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. root — of a word
  6. tear — from crying
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. face — to point toward
  9. tear — from crying
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. face — to confront
  12. tear — to rip
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — of a plant
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — of the year
  17. sharp — clever
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. root — the cause
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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