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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. deal — to handle
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — after costs
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. band — a ring
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. chest — a box
  9. charge — in control
  10. net — for catching
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — the cause
  13. chest — of your body
  14. face — to confront
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. root — of a plant
  19. band — a music group
  20. face — part of the head
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. root — of a word

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