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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bank — for money
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. last — final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. tear — from crying
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. chip — for betting
  10. track — a song
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. bank — for money
  17. root — the cause
  18. track — a path
  19. bank — of a river
  20. root — of a word
  21. track — to keep track
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — to rip
  24. root — of a plant

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