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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. face — to point toward
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. game — wild animals
  5. charge — electricity
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rock — music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. game — a match
  13. charge — a price
  14. root — of a word
  15. charge — in control
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. clip — a video
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — of a plant
  21. face — to confront
  22. stock — goods
  23. hand — help
  24. root — the cause

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