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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fall — the season
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for golf
  9. club — a group
  10. shower — to wash
  11. root — the cause
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. scale — in music
  15. root — of a word
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. scale — size or range
  19. shower — rain
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. root — of a plant
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mine — for digging

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