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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bass — low music
  4. charge — a price
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — soda
  10. cell — in biology
  11. root — of a word
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. date — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pop — to visit
  17. charge — in control
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. court — for sport
  20. root — the cause
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bass — the fish
  23. root — of a plant
  24. cell — a phone

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