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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 120 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. lean — to bend
  3. chip — to eat
  4. root — of a word
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. tear — from crying
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — for sport
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. root — of a plant
  12. shower — to wash
  13. root — the cause
  14. vault — a safe
  15. court — of law
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. chip — for betting
  19. court — of a king
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pass — a permit
  22. lean — thin
  23. tear — to rip
  24. shower — rain

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