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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — music
  3. court — of a king
  4. scale — in music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. scale — size or range
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of law
  12. root — the cause
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. root — of a plant
  15. date — the fruit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. root — of a word

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