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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. root — of a plant
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rock — a stone
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. root — of a word
  10. last — finally
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. root — the cause
  14. last — to go on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. content — the amount
  18. club — for golf
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. last — final
  22. club — a group
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. content — happy

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