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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. firm — steady
  6. last — to go on
  7. pitch — completely
  8. track — a song
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. last — final
  12. firm — a company
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — for a lock
  15. last — finally
  16. track — a path
  17. root — the cause
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. key — in music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. firm — decided
  24. pitch — a sports field

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