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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. land — a country
  3. root — of a word
  4. wound — an injury
  5. ball — a dance
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. land — to come down
  8. root — of a plant
  9. face — to confront
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. drill — army training
  13. vault — a safe
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. drill — the tool
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. drill — a practice
  20. land — ground
  21. root — the cause
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wound — an injury

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