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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — part of the head
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — of a word
  6. face — to point toward
  7. ground — the earth
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. march — the month
  10. staff — a stick
  11. root — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ground — crushed
  16. face — to confront
  17. fine — high quality
  18. march — music
  19. fine — all right
  20. ground — a position
  21. root — the cause
  22. march — the month
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — a straw man

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