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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — hasty
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mug — a face
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. root — of a plant
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — a cup
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — to keep track
  17. root — the cause
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — a song
  23. root — of a word
  24. rash — a series

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