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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — after costs
  7. roll — a cake
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — for catching
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. net — in sport
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. root — of a plant
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. firm — a company
  21. track — a path
  22. roll — a list
  23. root — the cause
  24. pit — in a race

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