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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a plant
  3. root — of a word
  4. rash — a series
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bat — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — child
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. root — the cause
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. dip — to sink
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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