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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mine — for digging
  5. band — a ring
  6. suit — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — clothes
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. suit — to fit
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  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