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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. shower — rain
  3. root — of a word
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. charge — in control
  11. root — the cause
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. prune — to trim
  16. charge — electricity
  17. bat — the animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. charge — a price
  23. root — of a plant
  24. prune — to trim

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