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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rock — music
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. root — of a word
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — the fruit
  9. root — of a plant
  10. vault — a safe
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bass — the fish
  15. root — the cause
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — low music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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