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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — the cause
  4. root — of a word
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. kick — in football
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mine — for digging
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to confront
  24. root — of a plant

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