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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — the cause
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chip — to eat
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bat — the animal
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. key — in music
  17. root — of a plant
  18. chip — for betting
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chip — in a computer

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