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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rest — a break
  3. cue — for pool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rest — what's left
  7. date — the fruit
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bat — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. capital — money
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. cue — a hint
  18. root — the cause
  19. capital — a city
  20. rest — what's left
  21. perch — the fish
  22. root — of a word
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bat — for baseball

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