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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. shower — rain
  8. bark — to shout
  9. land — to come down
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. root — of a plant
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. root — of a word
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bowl — to roll

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