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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rest — what's left
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bound — certain
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. roll — a list
  10. bound — obliged
  11. fall — the season
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. shower — to wash
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. root — of a plant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. root — of a word
  23. shower — rain
  24. root — the cause

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