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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. roll — a list
  3. ground — crushed
  4. pop — music
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pop — soda
  19. tube — a container
  20. ground — the earth
  21. roll — a cake
  22. root — of a word
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pop — to visit

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