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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — a friend
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. root — of a word
  9. track — a path
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. track — a song
  12. drill — the tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. mate — to breed
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — army training
  18. key — in music
  19. drill — a practice
  20. root — the cause
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. track — to keep track

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