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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rest — a break
  4. face — to confront
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. root — the cause
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — of a word
  24. pitch — completely

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