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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a word
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — of a plant
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. game — wild animals
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. root — the cause
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pop — soda
  21. perch — the fish
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. pop — to visit

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