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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. root — the cause
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. clip — a video
  7. craft — boats
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. face — to confront
  19. craft — a skill
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. root — of a word
  22. mine — for digging
  23. clip — for paper
  24. root — of a plant

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