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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. track — a song
  3. mark — a grade
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. root — the cause
  12. row — to paddle
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. suit — in cards
  15. ball — a dance
  16. row — a line
  17. suit — clothes
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. root — of a word
  21. court — for sport
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. suit — to fit
  24. dip — to sink

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