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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. root — of a word
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rest — what's left
  9. foot — a measure
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — a break
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — obliged
  20. root — of a plant
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rest — what's left
  23. root — the cause
  24. pitcher — a jug

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