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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. club — for dancing
  5. root — the cause
  6. club — for golf
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. shower — rain
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. scale — size or range
  18. club — a group
  19. net — after costs
  20. shower — to wash
  21. root — of a plant
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. scale — in music

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