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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. roll — a cake
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. root — of a plant
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. track — a song
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. root — the cause
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rush — hurry
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. board — to get on
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. track — a path
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. root — of a word
  23. board — a committee
  24. track — to keep track

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