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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · pitch · roll · root · spell · lie · fall · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pop — soda
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. spell — a short time
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fall — to drop
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spell — magic
  13. pop — to visit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. root — the cause
  16. lie — to recline
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fall — the season
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitch — a sports field

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