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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. field — a subject
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. track — a path
  6. bass — low music
  7. root — the cause
  8. root — of a plant
  9. field — for sport
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — letters
  12. snap — to click
  13. cap — a lid
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. vault — a safe
  16. field — farmland
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cap — of ice
  19. spell — magic
  20. bass — the fish
  21. track — a song
  22. cap — a hat
  23. spell — a short time
  24. track — to keep track

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