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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. content — happy
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rest — a break
  7. root — the cause
  8. dip — to sink
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. track — a path
  11. rest — what's left
  12. shower — to wash
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bass — the fish
  17. content — the amount
  18. bass — low music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rest — what's left
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. shower — rain

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