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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. board — a committee
  3. root — of a plant
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. cap — a hat
  6. firm — steady
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a word
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — to visit
  13. wind — moving air
  14. board — to get on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — a path
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. firm — decided
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. firm — a company

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