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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. shower — rain
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mate — a friend
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mate — a partner
  13. root — of a plant
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. root — the cause
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. root — of a word
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mate — to breed
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pitch — completely
  24. leaves — lets stay

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