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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. net — in sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — letters
  7. pop — to visit
  8. file — a document
  9. rash — hasty
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. root — the cause
  12. file — a line of people
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. can — a tin
  15. net — for catching
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. spell — a short time
  18. file — a tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. root — of a plant
  21. net — after costs
  22. root — of a word
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. can — to be able to

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