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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — finally
  3. ground — the earth
  4. last — final
  5. row — to paddle
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bore — to tire
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bore — to drill
  15. row — a line
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. track — a path
  18. ground — a position
  19. charge — a price
  20. track — a song
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. root — of a word
  24. ground — crushed

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