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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 120 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 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to point toward
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cell — in biology
  7. content — happy
  8. root — of a plant
  9. kid — child
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kick — in football
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. content — the amount
  17. face — to confront
  18. kid — to tease
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. root — the cause
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cell — a phone

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