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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. ball — a dance
  8. root — of a plant
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. kick — in football
  12. game — a match
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fall — to drop
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fall — the season
  18. stand — to bear
  19. root — the cause
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pitch — completely
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. face — to point toward

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