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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rock — music
  3. deal — to handle
  4. suit — in cards
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. field — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. field — farmland
  10. shower — rain
  11. root — of a plant
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rock — a stone
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. scale — in music
  18. shower — to wash
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. field — a subject
  21. root — the cause
  22. scale — size or range
  23. root — of a word
  24. coach — a trainer

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