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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 116 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. net — after costs
  3. court — of law
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. pop — soda
  6. pound — a weight
  7. root — of a plant
  8. court — for sport
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — the animal
  11. net — for catching
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — in cards
  16. root — of a word
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. root — the cause
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pop — to visit
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. net — in sport
  24. court — of a king

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