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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. saw — the tool
  3. root — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. fine — high quality
  8. track — a song
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. root — of a word
  11. pitch — completely
  12. root — the cause
  13. bulb — for light
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. toast — bread
  19. row — a line
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. row — to paddle

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