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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. root — the cause
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. tube — a container
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — farmland
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — in football
  18. snap — to click
  19. pop — soda
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. root — of a plant
  22. object — a thing
  23. root — of a word
  24. tube — the underground

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