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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. file — a tool
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stock — goods
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pop — soda
  9. file — a document
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. pop — music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. game — a match
  14. dip — to sink
  15. root — of a plant
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. root — the cause
  19. ball — a dance
  20. game — wild animals
  21. stock — shares
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ground — crushed
  24. game — a kind of play

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