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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to point toward
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. stock — goods
  13. root — of a word
  14. lie — to recline
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — a weight
  17. root — the cause
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — part of the head
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mine — for digging

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