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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bulb — for light
  4. clip — a video
  5. face — to point toward
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. root — of a plant
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. face — to confront
  11. clip — to cut
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a word
  16. clip — for paper
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bulb — for light
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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