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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. drill — a practice
  4. root — the cause
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. present — there
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. drill — army training
  14. root — of a plant
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. present — a gift
  17. shower — rain
  18. root — of a word
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. wound — an injury
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mouse — for a computer

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