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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to point toward
  3. root — of a plant
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — to drop
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bulb — for light
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. root — of a word
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ball — a dance
  14. fall — the season
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. sharp — clever
  23. face — to confront
  24. pitcher — a jug

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