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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. staff — employees
  5. key — for a lock
  6. board — to get on
  7. file — a tool
  8. content — happy
  9. key — in music
  10. root — of a word
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — to wash
  13. staff — employees
  14. key — the most important part
  15. content — the amount
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. root — of a plant
  18. file — a document
  19. march — the month
  20. board — a committee
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. staff — a stick
  23. file — a line of people
  24. march — music

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