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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — the season
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. fall — to drop
  9. root — of a word
  10. track — a song
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — of a plant
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. march — the month
  22. root — the cause
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rush — hurry

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