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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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Word bank
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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. root — the cause
  7. track — a path
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. spell — magic
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. root — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. track — a song
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. season — of the year
  21. spell — a short time
  22. root — of a word
  23. season — in sport
  24. stand — for spectators

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