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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. root — the cause
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. shower — rain
  7. cell — a phone
  8. root — of a plant
  9. face — to point toward
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. firm — a company
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. face — to confront
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. firm — steady
  17. cell — in biology
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. root — of a word
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. firm — decided
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. face — part of the head

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