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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. root — of a plant
  6. rule — government
  7. file — a document
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — to drill
  10. file — a tool
  11. bore — to tire
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. root — of a word
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. field — a subject
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. rule — a law
  20. pop — soda
  21. field — for sport
  22. root — the cause
  23. pop — to visit
  24. temple — side of the head

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