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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 120 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: game · rock · chest · ball · stock · root · pop · temple

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pop — music
  4. root — of a word
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rock — a stone
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — the cause
  12. game — wild animals
  13. ball — a dance
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. pop — to visit
  16. game — a match
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. ball — a great time
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. chest — a box
  24. pop — soda

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