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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. root — of a plant
  3. face — to point toward
  4. root — of a word
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. ball — a great time
  10. face — to confront
  11. spell — a short time
  12. face — part of the head
  13. row — a line
  14. spell — magic
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spell — letters
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bat — the animal
  22. root — the cause
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bat — in an idiom

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