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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. swing — in golf
  3. root — of a word
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. track — a song
  7. pop — music
  8. pitch — completely
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. mark — a grade
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. root — of a plant
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. snap — to click
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pop — soda
  23. root — the cause
  24. game — a match

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