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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rock — music
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. track — to keep track
  10. root — the cause
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chip — to eat
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. season — in sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. last — final
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. root — of a word
  24. last — finally

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