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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. charge — in control
  6. mate — a friend
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. chest — of your body
  12. root — of a word
  13. charge — a price
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. root — the cause
  16. hand — help
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — a line
  20. hand — in cards
  21. mate — a partner
  22. chest — a box
  23. mate — to breed
  24. row — to paddle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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