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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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. shower — a meteor shower
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. craft — boats
  6. file — a tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mug — a cup
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. file — a document
  16. cap — of ice
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. file — a line of people
  21. craft — a skill
  22. shower — rain
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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