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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. object — an aim
  3. object — a thing
  4. game — a match
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rash — hasty
  7. file — a line of people
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rash — a series
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — of a word
  13. shower — to wash
  14. root — the cause
  15. file — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. shower — rain
  18. file — a document
  19. club — a group
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. club — for dancing
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. object — to protest
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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