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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — a match
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. root — of a plant
  7. dip — to sink
  8. face — to confront
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. game — wild animals
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a song
  18. face — part of the head
  19. root — of a word
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — to keep track
  24. root — the cause

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