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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 116 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. march — the month
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pop — to visit
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. root — the cause
  13. net — for catching
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pop — soda
  16. net — after costs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. march — music
  19. root — of a word
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. march — the month
  22. bass — low music
  23. pop — music
  24. ball — a great time

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