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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ground — a position
  5. root — the cause
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. press — to push
  13. track — a song
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. press — a publisher
  16. root — of a word
  17. press — newspapers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pit — in a race
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. root — of a plant

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