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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. shower — to wash
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. root — of a word
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. cap — of ice
  18. last — final
  19. cap — a hat
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. shower — rain
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rush — a thrill

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