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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. rule — a law
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. file — a tool
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rash — hasty
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. face — to confront
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rash — a series
  18. rule — government
  19. rest — a break
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — the cause

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