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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. charge — a price
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — a face
  5. charge — electricity
  6. face — to confront
  7. mug — to rob
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — a stone
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mug — a cup
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. scale — in music
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. charge — in control
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rock — music
  24. mine — an explosive

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