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

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. track — a path
  3. root — the cause
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. cap — of ice
  6. root — of a plant
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. stock — shares
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stock — goods
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. cap — a hat
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. track — a song
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cap — a lid
  19. root — of a word
  20. plane — a tool
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — a jug

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