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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 120 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. track — a song
  3. root — of a plant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. root — the cause
  6. content — the amount
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — to keep track
  9. file — a document
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — a path
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. root — of a word
  16. ball — a great time
  17. content — happy
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. file — a tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. row — a line
  22. file — a line of people
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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