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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — of the year
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. shower — rain
  9. snap — to click
  10. root — of a word
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. root — the cause
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. root — of a plant
  23. season — in sport
  24. face — part of the head

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