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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. shower — rain
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. root — of a word
  7. field — a subject
  8. pit — a hole
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. fork — in a road
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a plant
  15. face — to confront
  16. degree — temperature
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — to wash
  19. degree — from a university
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. field — for sport
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. field — farmland
  24. degree — an amount

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