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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. saw — the tool
  3. foot — a measure
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. band — a ring
  6. root — the cause
  7. firm — steady
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. root — of a plant
  14. firm — a company
  15. band — a music group
  16. firm — decided
  17. pass — a permit
  18. saw — the tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. root — of a word
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. racket — a loud noise

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