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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. root — of a plant
  3. kid — child
  4. root — of a word
  5. chair — a leader
  6. face — to confront
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. kid — to tease
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. charge — in control
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. charge — a price
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. root — the cause
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. charge — electricity
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. racket — for tennis

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