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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. roll — a cake
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. shower — rain
  9. roll — a list
  10. bark — to shout
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. row — to paddle
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. scale — in music
  16. shower — to wash
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — a price
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. charge — in control
  21. cell — in biology
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. cell — a phone
  24. scale — for weighing

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