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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 need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. pop — music
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. last — final
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. court — for sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — high quality
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pop — to visit
  19. court — of a king
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. root — of a word
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. pop — soda

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