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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a word
  4. rule — a law
  5. row — a line
  6. pop — music
  7. root — the cause
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pop — soda
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bear — the animal
  21. root — of a plant
  22. row — to paddle
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bear — to put up with

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