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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. shower — to wash
  5. net — after costs
  6. march — the month
  7. root — of a plant
  8. march — the month
  9. spell — a short time
  10. ball — a great time
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. shower — rain
  16. root — the cause
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stand — to bear
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — of a word
  24. march — music

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