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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — the most important part
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. root — of a word
  6. board — to get on
  7. key — in music
  8. object — a thing
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. root — of a plant
  12. key — for a lock
  13. root — the cause
  14. object — an aim
  15. kid — child
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. kid — to tease
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wind — moving air
  20. object — to protest
  21. foot — a measure
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — part of the head
  24. board — a committee

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