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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — an illness
  4. root — the cause
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. root — of a plant
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. march — the month
  14. wind — moving air
  15. march — music
  16. root — of a word
  17. pound — a weight
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cold — not warm
  20. face — to confront
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. bass — low music
  23. face — to point toward
  24. safe — out of danger

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