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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 116 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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — the cause
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitch — completely
  9. spell — magic
  10. rest — a break
  11. game — a match
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. shower — rain
  16. spell — a short time
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a word
  21. spell — letters
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. land — a country

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