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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. spell — letters
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mate — to breed
  7. land — ground
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. root — the cause
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. land — a country
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. root — of a word
  17. deal — to handle
  18. land — to come down
  19. pitch — completely
  20. spell — a short time
  21. track — a song
  22. track — a path
  23. mate — a friend
  24. spell — magic

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