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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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Word bank
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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. spell — magic
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. root — the cause
  7. file — a document
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pop — soda
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. file — a line of people
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. track — a song
  15. game — a match
  16. pop — music
  17. spell — a short time
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. root — of a word
  22. spell — letters
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pop — to visit

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