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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. last — final
  6. ground — the earth
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pop — music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. pop — soda
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. root — the cause
  24. pop — to visit

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