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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 124 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — the cause
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. track — a song
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. fine — all right
  12. track — a path
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bat — the animal
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. root — of a word
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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