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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. root — the cause
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — of a plant
  6. press — to push
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mine — for digging
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. press — a publisher
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. file — a document
  14. net — after costs
  15. press — newspapers
  16. board — to get on
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. file — a line of people
  23. root — of a word
  24. mine — belonging to me

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