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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. last — finally
  3. track — to keep track
  4. field — a subject
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. can — a tin
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cell — in biology
  9. track — a song
  10. can — to be able to
  11. last — to go on
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — farmland
  14. root — the cause
  15. track — a path
  16. last — final
  17. root — of a word
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. can — a tin
  20. spell — a short time
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. field — for sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. cell — a phone

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