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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. shower — rain
  6. mug — a cup
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — to tease
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. shower — to wash
  11. root — of a plant
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. root — of a word
  15. mug — a face
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. rock — a stone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. root — the cause
  20. mug — to rob
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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