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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — the cause
  4. shower — rain
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pass — a permit
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. roll — a list
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — the amount
  15. roll — a cake
  16. content — happy
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. root — of a word
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — government
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. content — videos and posts

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