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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. root — of a word
  3. mate — to breed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chip — to eat
  8. root — of a plant
  9. swing — to play on
  10. can — a tin
  11. swing — music
  12. chip — for betting
  13. can — a tin
  14. root — the cause
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. mark — a trace
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rush — hurry
  21. mark — a grade
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mark — to pay attention

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