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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  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. pop — music
  2. shower — rain
  3. hand — in cards
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. object — to protest
  6. toast — bread
  7. pop — to visit
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. object — a thing
  11. shower — to wash
  12. object — an aim
  13. root — the cause
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. pop — soda
  18. hand — help
  19. root — of a word
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spring — the season
  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