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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. shower — rain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. root — the cause
  7. root — of a plant
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — a subject
  16. cue — a signal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cue — a hint
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. root — of a word
  24. field — farmland

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