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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. ball — a dance
  6. root — of a plant
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — the season
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — moving air
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — a path
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bass — low music
  22. track — a song
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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