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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rock — music
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. race — humankind
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pop — soda
  14. root — the cause
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. root — of a word
  17. race — a contest
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bass — low music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pop — music
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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