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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. swing — music
  3. net — after costs
  4. swing — in golf
  5. staff — a stick
  6. track — to keep track
  7. season — of the year
  8. staff — employees
  9. net — in sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. race — humankind
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. race — the arms race
  14. craft — a skill
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — the cause
  17. staff — employees
  18. root — of a word
  19. root — of a plant
  20. swing — to play on
  21. track — a song
  22. race — a contest
  23. craft — boats
  24. season — in sport

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