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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. scale — in music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. scale — size or range
  7. spell — letters
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. clip — to cut
  11. spell — magic
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. dip — to sink
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — for paper
  17. clip — a video
  18. root — the cause
  19. pop — music
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pop — to visit
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. pop — soda

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