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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — for digging
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kid — child
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. root — of a plant
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. court — for sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kid — to tease
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. court — of law
  24. root — the cause

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