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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. mug — a face
  5. face — to confront
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. kick — in football
  8. root — of a word
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. land — ground
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. face — to point toward
  13. race — humankind
  14. wound — an injury
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. race — a contest
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — a country
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. land — to come down
  22. root — the cause
  23. root — of a plant
  24. race — the arms race

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