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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — to wash
  7. root — of a word
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. root — of a plant
  11. land — to come down
  12. chip — for betting
  13. face — to confront
  14. rash — a series
  15. shower — rain
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — a country
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. chip — to eat

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