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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — a path
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. root — of a plant
  13. face — to point toward
  14. land — a country
  15. band — a ring
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. root — the cause
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — part of the head

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