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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. mug — a cup
  5. lean — to bend
  6. root — the cause
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. root — of a word
  9. mug — a face
  10. root — of a plant
  11. field — a subject
  12. lean — thin
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mug — to rob
  15. hand — help
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — for a lock
  19. hand — in cards
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. field — farmland
  22. face — to point toward
  23. field — for sport
  24. key — in music

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