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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. track — a path
  3. root — of a word
  4. cap — a lid
  5. lean — thin
  6. pop — soda
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. sharp — clever
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. track — to keep track
  14. root — the cause
  15. cap — a hat
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — of ice
  19. track — a song
  20. pop — music
  21. game — a match
  22. game — wild animals
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bear — to put up with

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