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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of a king
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. root — the cause
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — the time now
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. shower — to wash
  9. root — of a word
  10. key — for a lock
  11. court — for sport
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. present — there
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. key — in music
  17. court — of law
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. root — of a plant
  20. present — a gift
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. plane — a tool
  23. shower — rain
  24. key — the most important part

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