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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a plant
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. shower — to wash
  9. lie — to recline
  10. root — of a word
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. row — a line
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bass — low music
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mark — a grade
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. roll — a cake
  22. shower — rain
  23. roll — a list
  24. mark — a trace

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