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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. root — of a plant
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. face — to point toward
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rule — a law
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. root — the cause
  23. rule — government
  24. vault — a safe

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