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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. object — to protest
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. drill — the tool
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — soda
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. root — the cause
  14. drill — army training
  15. object — a thing
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. root — of a word
  18. object — an aim
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. row — to paddle
  21. row — a line
  22. hand — in cards
  23. drill — a practice
  24. row — a quarrel

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