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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — in sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. root — of a plant
  10. face — to confront
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. root — of a word
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ground — a position
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. straw — a straw man

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