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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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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: swing · root · face · sharp · racket · tube · net · suit

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. swing — to play on
  5. swing — in golf
  6. net — in sport
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — part of the head
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. root — of a plant
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. suit — to fit
  14. root — of a word
  15. tube — a container
  16. suit — clothes
  17. root — the cause
  18. swing — music
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — the underground
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. net — for catching
  24. face — to confront

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