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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. net — after costs
  3. pop — soda
  4. bass — low music
  5. pop — music
  6. root — of a word
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. net — in sport
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bass — the fish
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. present — the time now
  16. drill — the tool
  17. root — the cause
  18. net — for catching
  19. present — there
  20. drill — army training
  21. file — a line of people
  22. present — a gift
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. file — a document

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