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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — a weight
  5. root — of a word
  6. court — of law
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — help
  10. court — of a king
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — for sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. hand — in cards
  18. dip — to sink
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. root — of a plant
  22. rush — hurry
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. root — the cause

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