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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. field — for sport
  6. root — the cause
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. field — a subject
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. root — of a plant
  15. field — farmland
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. root — of a word
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. clip — a video
  22. pop — music
  23. face — to confront
  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