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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pit — a hole
  5. track — a path
  6. pop — soda
  7. root — the cause
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. pit — in a race
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. root — of a plant
  18. track — a song
  19. stock — goods
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. stock — shares
  23. root — of a word
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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