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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mine — for digging
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. dip — to sink
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pit — in a race
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. face — part of the head
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. face — to confront
  18. root — of a plant
  19. branch — a division
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. hide — animal skin

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