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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. swing — music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. file — a document
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — to play on
  8. file — a tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. track — a path
  12. stock — shares
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ground — a position
  16. track — a song
  17. root — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stock — goods
  21. root — the cause
  22. lean — thin
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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