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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. root — of a word
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cap — a hat
  6. drill — the tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. face — part of the head
  9. drill — army training
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. face — to point toward
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. kid — to tease
  20. drill — a practice
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kid — child
  24. ball — a round shape

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