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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. root — of a plant
  3. net — for catching
  4. game — wild animals
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. track — a path
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. root — the cause
  10. mark — a trace
  11. net — after costs
  12. track — to keep track
  13. root — of a word
  14. track — a song
  15. net — in sport
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stem — to come from
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. game — a match

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