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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bulb — for light
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cue — a signal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ground — the earth
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. ground — a position
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. shower — rain
  19. root — of a word
  20. bulb — for light
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pound — a weight
  23. root — of a plant
  24. root — the cause

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