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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: mouse · root · stick · face · net · bat · spell · rash

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. bat — the animal
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. spell — letters
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. net — in sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. root — of a word
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — the cause
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spell — magic
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spell — a short time
  24. rash — a series

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