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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. season — in sport
  3. root — the cause
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — certain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. season — of the year
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — child
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. chair — a leader
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. shower — rain

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