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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cue — for pool
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — a country
  7. face — part of the head
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cue — a hint
  13. land — to come down
  14. present — the time now
  15. perch — the fish
  16. cue — a signal
  17. face — to confront
  18. land — ground
  19. present — there
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. present — a gift
  24. perch — for a bird

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