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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. rash — a series
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. chip — to eat
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. staff — a stick
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. root — the cause
  17. kick — in football
  18. staff — employees
  19. root — of a word
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — hasty
  24. root — of a plant

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