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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 120 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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. file — a line of people
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — of a plant
  9. root — the cause
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. track — a song
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. file — a document
  18. shower — to wash
  19. chest — a box
  20. track — a path
  21. chest — of your body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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