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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 116 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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. fall — the season
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. bat — the animal
  12. shower — to wash
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. shower — rain
  17. root — the cause
  18. fall — to drop
  19. root — of a word
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — happening now
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. bowl — a football final

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