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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. file — a document
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a line of people
  12. root — the cause
  13. land — a country
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — to come down
  18. row — a line
  19. foot — a measure
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — ground
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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