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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. root — the cause
  4. cap — of ice
  5. face — to confront
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. clip — to cut
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. clip — for paper
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cap — a hat
  15. clip — a video
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bat — the animal
  20. snap — to click
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. face — part of the head

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