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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: face · bulb · root · bat · cabinet · sharp · net · date

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — the animal
  7. root — of a word
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — the cause
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. date — the fruit
  16. sharp — clever
  17. face — part of the head
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. root — of a plant
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bulb — for light
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. net — for catching

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