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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 120 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  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. track — a path
  2. fine — high quality
  3. track — a song
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. content — happy
  7. fine — all right
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. root — of a word
  17. track — to keep track
  18. object — an aim
  19. content — the amount
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a plant
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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