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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. present — the time now
  3. root — of a word
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. row — a line
  9. file — a tool
  10. face — to confront
  11. present — there
  12. file — a document
  13. root — of a plant
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. present — a gift
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. face — part of the head
  23. root — the cause
  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