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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. firm — decided
  5. root — of a plant
  6. firm — a company
  7. root — the cause
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — bread
  13. last — finally
  14. sharp — clever
  15. firm — steady
  16. track — to keep track
  17. root — of a word
  18. track — a path
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. cap — of ice
  22. last — final
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. track — a song

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