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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. root — the cause
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitch — completely
  10. key — in music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bank — for money
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. root — of a word
  17. bank — of a river
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. key — for a lock
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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