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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rock — music
  8. mate — a friend
  9. content — the amount
  10. pop — music
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mate — a partner
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — happy
  19. mate — to breed
  20. rock — a stone
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bat — the animal
  23. root — of a word
  24. root — of a plant

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