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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. content — happy
  3. fall — the season
  4. chip — to eat
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — the amount
  7. shower — to wash
  8. root — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. root — the cause
  16. fall — to drop
  17. row — a line
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. root — of a word
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fall — to drop
  22. lie — to recline
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. row — a quarrel

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