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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. root — the cause
  3. season — in sport
  4. shower — rain
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. season — of the year
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. root — of a word
  14. shower — to wash
  15. drill — the tool
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — a measure
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. content — happy
  20. plane — a tool
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — a practice
  23. root — of a plant
  24. plane — an aircraft

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