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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. drill — a practice
  3. track — a song
  4. pass — a permit
  5. net — in sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. drill — army training
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ground — crushed
  11. track — a path
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. net — for catching
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. root — of a word
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bass — the fish
  20. net — after costs
  21. drill — the tool
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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