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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wake — a trail
  7. bound — obliged
  8. shower — rain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — certain
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. shower — to wash
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. root — of a word
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bound — tied together
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. root — the cause
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kick — in football
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — before a funeral

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