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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 a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. kid — to tease
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. charge — in control
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. root — of a word
  15. charge — a price
  16. root — the cause
  17. stock — shares
  18. kid — child
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. pop — soda
  22. stock — goods
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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