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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. shower — to wash
  3. sharp — clever
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. shower — rain
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. present — a gift
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. present — there
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. root — the cause
  15. present — the time now
  16. bass — the fish
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. root — of a plant
  21. dip — to sink
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bass — low 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