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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · pass · board · squash · face · mate · root · bat

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mate — a friend
  4. board — a committee
  5. face — to confront
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pass — a permit
  8. root — the cause
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bulb — for light
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. root — of a word
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. face — part of the head
  18. board — to get on
  19. squash — to crush
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. mate — to breed
  24. face — to point toward

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