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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — a group
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. face — part of the head
  5. charge — a price
  6. club — for dancing
  7. root — of a plant
  8. ground — a position
  9. club — for golf
  10. wax — to grow
  11. charge — electricity
  12. root — of a word
  13. ground — the earth
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. last — final
  16. ground — crushed
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. face — to confront
  20. root — the cause
  21. charge — in control
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. face — to point toward
  24. last — to go on

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