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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. root — of a word
  3. shower — to wash
  4. game — wild animals
  5. content — happy
  6. net — for catching
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a signal
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cue — a hint
  12. net — after costs
  13. content — the amount
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. game — a match
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. shower — rain
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. root — of a plant
  21. net — in sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. root — the cause
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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