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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. shower — to wash
  8. kick — in football
  9. rash — a series
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. face — part of the head
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. shower — rain
  16. foot — a measure
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — hasty
  21. clip — a video
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kick — with a leg

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