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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. land — ground
  3. hand — in cards
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. land — a country
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — a song
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. track — a path
  19. root — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hand — help
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pass — a permit

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