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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. root — of a word
  3. board — a committee
  4. track — a song
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. last — final
  11. root — the cause
  12. board — to get on
  13. root — of a plant
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fall — to drop
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — to go on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. last — finally
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fall — the season
  24. fork — in a road

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