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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. roll — a cake
  5. shower — rain
  6. root — the cause
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bound — obliged
  9. root — of a word
  10. last — final
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. roll — a list
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. last — to go on
  15. bound — tied together
  16. last — finally
  17. bound — certain
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. band — a ring
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. band — a music group

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