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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. root — of a plant
  4. track — a path
  5. root — the cause
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mate — to breed
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. root — of a word
  13. mate — a partner
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. leaves — lets stay

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