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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pop — soda
  3. rock — a stone
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. pop — music
  7. root — the cause
  8. rock — music
  9. band — a music group
  10. root — of a word
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fork — in a road
  18. board — a committee
  19. root — of a plant
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. scale — in music
  22. land — ground
  23. board — to get on
  24. band — a ring

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