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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 116 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 ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. root — the cause
  4. pop — soda
  5. drill — army training
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. season — in sport
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. root — of a word
  12. shower — rain
  13. board — a committee
  14. net — for catching
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — of the year
  19. drill — a practice
  20. net — after costs
  21. pop — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. shower — to wash
  24. net — in sport

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