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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — a series
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rash — hasty
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. foot — a measure
  11. root — of a plant
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. root — the cause
  19. root — of a word
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. track — a song
  24. plane — in geometry

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