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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. root — of a word
  3. ball — a dance
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. file — a document
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ball — a great time
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. row — to paddle
  11. wound — an injury
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. track — to keep track
  14. fine — high quality
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. root — of a plant
  19. file — a line of people
  20. wound — an injury
  21. root — the cause
  22. file — a tool
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fine — all right

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