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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. snap — to click
  4. root — the cause
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — of a plant
  7. bass — the fish
  8. game — a match
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — wild animals
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — to come down
  13. root — of a word
  14. land — ground
  15. prune — to trim
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. land — a country
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. charge — in control
  24. plane — a tool

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