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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. root — of a word
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — rain
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mate — a partner
  16. current — electric
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. root — the cause
  19. snap — to click
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — of water
  24. mate — to breed

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