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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.

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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. content — the amount
  3. fall — the season
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. shower — to wash
  11. root — the cause
  12. file — a tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. content — happy
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. root — of a plant
  21. file — a document
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. shower — rain

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