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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. root — of a word
  3. swing — to play on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — a leader
  6. swing — in golf
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ground — a position
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. swing — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. perch — the fish
  16. root — the cause
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. ground — crushed
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. shower — rain
  24. ground — the earth

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