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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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. firm — a company
  3. root — of a plant
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. press — to push
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. saw — the tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. bear — the animal
  13. cold — not warm
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. press — a publisher
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a word
  21. firm — steady
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cold — an illness

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