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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. roll — a list
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — rain
  5. face — part of the head
  6. shower — to wash
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a plant
  16. face — to confront
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. race — humankind
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. face — to point toward
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — of a word
  23. bat — the animal
  24. race — a contest

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