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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — of a word
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. sharp — clever
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. capital — money
  12. root — the cause
  13. bore — to tire
  14. track — to keep track
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. root — of a plant
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. saw — the tool
  24. capital — a city

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