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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a word
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — magic
  5. press — to push
  6. face — to point toward
  7. root — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. scale — size or range
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. press — a publisher
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. fine — all right
  19. spell — a short time
  20. scale — in music
  21. root — the cause
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. press — newspapers
  24. racket — for tennis

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