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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 120 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. root — of a word
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. cell — in biology
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chest — a box
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. shower — rain
  22. root — the cause
  23. chest — of your body
  24. shower — to wash

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