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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. root — the cause
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — a path
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. object — a thing
  9. track — a song
  10. chest — a box
  11. root — of a word
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — of a plant
  14. season — of the year
  15. object — an aim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — the underground
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. season — in sport
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — of your body
  24. object — to protest

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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