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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. chest — a box
  3. charge — a price
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. root — of a plant
  6. track — a song
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — the arms race
  9. track — a path
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pop — soda
  15. cue — a signal
  16. root — the cause
  17. pop — music
  18. fine — all right
  19. track — to keep track
  20. fine — high quality
  21. race — a contest
  22. cue — for pool
  23. charge — in control
  24. root — of a word

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