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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. charge — electricity
  9. rash — a series
  10. root — the cause
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — hasty
  18. charge — in control
  19. ground — a position
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. shower — rain
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bowl — to roll

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