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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — the cause
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a song
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cue — a hint
  11. root — of a word
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. track — to keep track
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cue — a signal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — clever
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fall — the season

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