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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. pop — music
  6. march — the month
  7. net — in sport
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — to visit
  12. march — the month
  13. root — the cause
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. net — after costs
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. sharp — clever
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pop — soda

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