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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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468
Word bank
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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fork — in a road
  4. rest — what's left
  5. suit — in cards
  6. face — to point toward
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. root — the cause
  13. face — to confront
  14. rest — a break
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rest — what's left
  17. suit — to fit
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kick — in football
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. root — of a word
  24. face — part of the head

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