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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — rain
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. wind — moving air
  6. shower — to wash
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. rock — a stone
  9. date — the fruit
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rock — music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. root — the cause
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — in football
  23. root — of a word
  24. safe — a strongbox

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