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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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468
Word bank
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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. root — of a plant
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mark — a trace
  11. track — a path
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a word
  16. tear — to rip
  17. press — to push
  18. tear — from crying
  19. root — the cause
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bat — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. kick — a thrill

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