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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — to come down
  3. root — of a word
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. craft — boats
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. swing — in golf
  10. track — a song
  11. swing — music
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. tube — a container
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. root — the cause
  18. track — to keep track
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitch — completely
  23. root — of a plant
  24. craft — a skill

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