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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. root — of a word
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — a series
  7. shower — to wash
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. root — the cause
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rash — hasty
  17. root — of a plant
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kid — child
  22. shower — rain
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. sharp — clever

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