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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. root — of a word
  7. perch — the fish
  8. season — in sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — government
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pop — soda
  14. roll — a cake
  15. season — of the year
  16. rule — a law
  17. root — of a plant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — the cause
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. roll — a list
  23. bat — for baseball
  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