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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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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. squash — to crush
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — a song
  6. root — the cause
  7. court — of law
  8. root — of a plant
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. track — to keep track
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. squash — the sport
  13. root — of a word
  14. sharp — clever
  15. court — of a king
  16. tube — the underground
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tube — a container
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. court — for sport
  24. tear — from crying

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