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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. root — of a word
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. face — to point toward
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — part of the head
  8. root — the cause
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. vault — a safe
  12. saw — the tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. face — to confront
  19. hand — in cards
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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