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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. root — of a word
  7. roll — a list
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — the tool
  12. swing — music
  13. march — music
  14. root — of a plant
  15. swing — in golf
  16. root — the cause
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. suit — in cards
  19. rush — hurry
  20. march — the month
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. swing — to play on
  24. march — the month

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