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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bear — the animal
  5. game — a match
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rash — hasty
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. spell — a short time
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. mug — to rob
  20. track — a song
  21. bear — the animal
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. root — the cause
  24. game — a kind of play

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