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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. chip — for betting
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. net — in sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bound — certain
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — for digging
  18. chip — to eat
  19. net — after costs
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to confront

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