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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. row — a line
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bound — obliged
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. root — the cause
  12. bound — certain
  13. root — of a word
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. scale — in music
  16. row — to paddle
  17. sharp — clever
  18. scale — size or range
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. root — of a plant
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. face — to confront

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