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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — to keep track
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rest — a break
  8. staff — employees
  9. root — of a plant
  10. track — a path
  11. net — in sport
  12. bark — to shout
  13. track — a song
  14. root — of a word
  15. lie — to recline
  16. net — for catching
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. lie — an untruth

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