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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. root — the cause
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. capital — a city
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. track — a path
  8. face — part of the head
  9. root — of a plant
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cue — a hint
  12. root — of a word
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. key — for a lock
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cue — a signal
  21. capital — money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. key — in music
  24. cue — for pool

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