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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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. face — to confront
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — clever
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fork — in a road
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — a partner
  15. firm — a company
  16. capital — a city
  17. spell — a short time
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. mate — to breed
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. capital — money
  24. face — to point toward

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