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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — a break
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — the earth
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pop — music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wound — an injury
  9. root — of a plant
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a face
  13. ground — a position
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ground — crushed
  16. track — a path
  17. pop — to visit
  18. track — a song
  19. court — of law
  20. court — of a king
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — for sport
  23. root — the cause
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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