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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. track — a path
  9. lie — to recline
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. track — a song
  13. deal — to handle
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to click
  17. root — of a plant
  18. last — to go on
  19. root — of a word
  20. root — the cause
  21. last — finally
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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