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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. root — the cause
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. root — of a plant
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — a stone
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. root — of a word
  24. perch — for a bird

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