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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. root — the cause
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. root — of a word
  6. foot — a measure
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rule — a law
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — a path
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. root — of a plant
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. face — to confront
  17. march — music
  18. face — to point toward
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rule — government
  21. track — to keep track
  22. march — the month
  23. track — a song
  24. face — part of the head

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