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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. spell — magic
  3. pop — music
  4. root — the cause
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pop — soda
  8. spell — letters
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pop — to visit
  14. root — of a plant
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. spell — a short time

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