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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. root — the cause
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. bass — the fish
  7. root — of a plant
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bass — low music
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pop — to visit
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — a line
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. court — of law
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — soda
  22. court — of a king
  23. root — of a word
  24. row — to paddle

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