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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — a group
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. track — a path
  8. club — for golf
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a song
  11. root — of a plant
  12. root — of a word
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. root — the cause
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. pit — in a race
  18. row — to paddle
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a line
  24. bound — tied together

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