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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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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — of a plant
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. rock — music
  7. root — the cause
  8. rock — a stone
  9. shower — to wash
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. root — of a word
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. shower — rain
  24. bowl — a dish

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