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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spell — letters
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. root — of a plant
  8. key — for a lock
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — a short time
  11. last — to go on
  12. key — the most important part
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — finally
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. key — in music
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — to be able to
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. pound — a weight

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