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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. root — of a plant
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. capital — a city
  7. row — to paddle
  8. capital — money
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. court — of law
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — the cause
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. drill — a practice
  19. row — a line
  20. drill — army training
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bass — the fish
  23. root — of a word
  24. capital — a big letter

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