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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — boats
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. club — a group
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. roll — a cake
  13. club — for golf
  14. craft — a skill
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a plant
  20. club — for dancing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. roll — a list
  24. wind — to turn a key

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