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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. root — of a plant
  4. swing — to play on
  5. face — to point toward
  6. root — of a word
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mark — a trace
  11. face — to confront
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. swing — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. root — the cause
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pop — to visit
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mark — a grade
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — 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