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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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. face — to confront
  3. stand — to bear
  4. game — a match
  5. root — of a plant
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. perch — the fish
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — a leader
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. root — of a word
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. face — part of the head
  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