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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. root — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. track — a path
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. root — the cause
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. plane — a tool
  15. last — finally
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. root — of a word
  24. nail — for a hammer

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