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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. key — for a lock
  12. root — of a word
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. pit — a hole
  18. kick — in football
  19. pit — in a race
  20. root — the cause
  21. key — in music
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pound — a weight
  24. root — of a plant

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