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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. face — to confront
  3. degree — from a university
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. root — the cause
  8. stand — to bear
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. spring — a coil
  12. chip — to eat
  13. roll — a cake
  14. spring — of water
  15. roll — a list
  16. degree — an amount
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. root — of a word
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. degree — temperature
  21. chip — for betting
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. spring — the season
  24. root — of a plant

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