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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cap — a hat
  4. ball — a great time
  5. root — of a word
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. track — a path
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. track — to keep track
  11. root — of a plant
  12. tear — from crying
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cap — of ice
  15. root — the cause
  16. kid — child
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — to tease
  19. tear — from crying
  20. cap — a lid
  21. tear — to rip
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. ball — a dance

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