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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. arm — a part of something
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fall — to drop
  4. face — to confront
  5. root — of a plant
  6. spell — letters
  7. current — happening now
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. face — to point toward
  10. root — the cause
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. current — electric
  13. fall — the season
  14. spell — magic
  15. club — a group
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — for golf
  20. root — of a word
  21. spell — a short time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. current — of water
  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