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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. track — a song
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — happy
  5. pitch — completely
  6. root — of a word
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. saw — the tool
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. track — a path
  14. root — of a plant
  15. track — to keep track
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. spring — the season
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. spring — of water
  22. root — the cause
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — to crush

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