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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. root — of a plant
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mark — a trace
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — for digging
  15. root — of a word
  16. mark — a grade
  17. root — the cause
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fine — all right
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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