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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. vault — a safe
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fine — high quality
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. file — a document
  11. rule — a law
  12. fine — all right
  13. file — a line of people
  14. club — a group
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — for dancing
  17. rule — government
  18. root — the cause
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. face — part of the head
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. root — of a word

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