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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 116 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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. root — of a plant
  3. pop — soda
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. row — a line
  9. rest — a break
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. root — the cause
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — of a word
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. season — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. row — to paddle
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. ball — a great time

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