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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: face · root · present · last · pit · fan · game · clip

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. root — of a word
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. present — there
  10. last — finally
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. face — to confront
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. present — the time now
  17. root — of a plant
  18. clip — a video
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — final
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. present — a gift

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