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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. suit — to fit
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. root — the cause
  6. face — part of the head
  7. suit — clothes
  8. suit — in cards
  9. club — a group
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. club — for golf
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. drill — army training
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. club — for dancing
  19. drill — a practice
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — completely
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitch — a sports field

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