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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — a position
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. ground — crushed
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. root — the cause
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pop — to visit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — of a plant
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pop — soda
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bank — for money
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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