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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pit — a hole
  3. ball — a dance
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pop — music
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. pit — in a race
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. toast — bread
  15. pop — soda
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — the cause
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — the season
  21. root — of a word
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fork — in a road
  24. spring — a coil

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