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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. face — to confront
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. root — the cause
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. degree — from a university
  8. degree — temperature
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. board — a committee
  13. face — part of the head
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bass — low music
  16. board — to get on
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. degree — an amount
  20. root — of a plant
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. face — to point toward
  24. march — music

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