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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · root · sharp · cue · content · ground · deal · rest

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cue — for pool
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. rest — a break
  6. root — of a plant
  7. ground — the earth
  8. shower — to wash
  9. rest — what's left
  10. root — of a word
  11. cue — a signal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. sharp — clever
  14. content — the amount
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. rest — what's left
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ground — crushed
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — the cause
  24. cue — a hint

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