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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. track — to keep track
  4. march — the month
  5. track — a path
  6. root — the cause
  7. date — the fruit
  8. root — of a plant
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — crushed
  11. lean — thin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. march — music
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. ground — a position
  22. root — of a word
  23. march — the month
  24. spell — a short time

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