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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. root — the cause
  3. drill — a practice
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — in sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. root — of a word
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. root — of a plant
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. squash — the sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — part of the head
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. drill — the tool
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. drill — army training
  23. kick — in football
  24. face — to point toward

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