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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. vault — a safe
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. root — of a word
  7. game — wild animals
  8. lean — to bend
  9. shower — rain
  10. lean — thin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. perch — the fish
  17. shower — to wash
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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