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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 the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. root — of a word
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wound — an injury
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. pitch — completely
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rest — a break
  13. press — a publisher
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lie — to recline
  16. press — to push
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. root — the cause
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rest — what's left
  22. press — newspapers
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wind — moving air

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