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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. suit — clothes
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fine — high quality
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. root — the cause
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. date — the fruit
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. root — of a plant
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. suit — to fit
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. root — of a word
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. track — a song

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