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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. spring — of water
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — rain
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lie — to recline
  9. track — a path
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. track — a song
  14. spring — the season
  15. present — the time now
  16. root — of a plant
  17. track — to keep track
  18. root — the cause
  19. present — a gift
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. present — there
  22. shower — to wash
  23. root — of a word
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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