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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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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. root — of a plant
  3. key — for a lock
  4. last — finally
  5. last — to go on
  6. root — the cause
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. track — a song
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. key — the most important part
  19. pop — music
  20. key — in music
  21. root — of a word
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pop — soda

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