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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bound — certain
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bound — tied together
  8. root — of a word
  9. club — a group
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bound — obliged
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. roll — a cake
  14. club — for golf
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. root — the cause
  17. face — to confront
  18. roll — a list
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. face — to point toward
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. root — of a plant

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