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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 120 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  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. file — a line of people
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. file — a tool
  5. pop — soda
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. root — of a word
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. face — to confront
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pop — music
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bank — for money
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bank — of a river
  19. pitch — completely
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bank — for money
  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