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

Word bank: roll · bay · capital · root · wind · pop · toast · calf

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. roll — a list
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. root — the cause
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. capital — a city
  12. root — of a word
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — money
  18. wind — moving air
  19. pop — soda
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pop — music
  24. root — of a plant

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