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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. root — of a word
  4. shower — to wash
  5. mark — a grade
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. scale — in music
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. game — a match
  15. root — the cause
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. lean — to bend
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. shower — rain
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rule — a law
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rule — government

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