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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 124 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. lie — to recline
  4. root — of a word
  5. track — a song
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. face — to confront
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a plant
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. face — to point toward
  13. game — a match
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mark — a grade
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. track — a path
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cell — in biology
  24. lie — an untruth

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