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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. shower — rain
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — in sport
  6. root — of a word
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. rest — a break
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. root — the cause
  12. foot — a measure
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rash — hasty
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — a hole
  18. shower — to wash
  19. scale — in music
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pit — in a race
  24. foot — part of the body

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