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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. root — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. root — the cause
  5. swing — in golf
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — the amount
  11. bound — certain
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. track — to keep track
  17. root — of a word
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. swing — to play on
  20. content — happy
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bound — tied together
  23. swing — music
  24. safe — out of danger

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