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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. suit — to fit
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cold — an illness
  5. face — to point toward
  6. suit — clothes
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. sharp — clever
  11. face — to confront
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. suit — in cards
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cold — not warm
  16. root — of a plant
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. game — wild animals
  19. saw — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. face — part of the head
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. root — the cause
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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