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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a song
  5. roll — a list
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — soda
  10. ground — a position
  11. root — the cause
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pop — to visit
  14. roll — a cake
  15. ground — the earth
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — crushed
  18. track — a path
  19. root — of a plant
  20. staff — employees
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. root — of a word
  24. staff — a stick

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