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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. shower — rain
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. roll — a cake
  11. cue — for pool
  12. track — a path
  13. root — of a plant
  14. charge — in control
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. charge — a price
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. track — a song
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wind — moving air

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