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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. race — a contest
  7. root — of a word
  8. cold — not warm
  9. staff — employees
  10. charge — electricity
  11. race — the arms race
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. face — part of the head
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. race — humankind
  17. root — the cause
  18. staff — a stick
  19. face — to point toward
  20. staff — employees
  21. charge — a price
  22. cold — an illness
  23. charge — in control
  24. foot — a measure

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