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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. root — of a word
  3. face — to confront
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. march — the month
  7. drill — a practice
  8. march — the month
  9. ground — crushed
  10. chest — a box
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — a position
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. march — music
  21. face — to point toward
  22. root — of a plant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — the cause

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