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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. press — a publisher
  4. root — of a word
  5. net — after costs
  6. track — a path
  7. root — the cause
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. root — of a plant
  12. net — for catching
  13. kid — to tease
  14. track — a song
  15. press — to push
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — all right
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. kid — child
  20. fine — high quality
  21. press — newspapers
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — in sport

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