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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. shower — rain
  3. land — to come down
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. rash — a series
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. fine — high quality
  12. root — of a plant
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — the tool
  16. root — the cause
  17. shower — to wash
  18. can — a tin
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — all right
  21. root — of a word
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — army training
  24. land — a country

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