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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. root — of a word
  3. cap — a hat
  4. root — the cause
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cap — a lid
  11. root — of a plant
  12. face — part of the head
  13. drill — army training
  14. cue — for pool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. fine — all right
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. cue — a signal

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