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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. chip — for betting
  4. root — of a word
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. root — of a plant
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. chip — to eat
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — a trace
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rash — a series
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. root — the cause
  24. rash — hasty

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