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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. fall — the season
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bass — low music
  7. track — a song
  8. foot — a measure
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bass — the fish
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. chest — a box
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. dip — to sink
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — of your body
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. chest — of your 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