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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fine — all right
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cell — a phone
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. wax — to grow
  15. foot — a measure
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. root — of a plant

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