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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. season — of the year
  3. track — a path
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pound — a weight
  6. season — in sport
  7. club — a group
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rest — a break
  11. club — for golf
  12. root — of a plant
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. root — of a word
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — a song
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. track — to keep track

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