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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. track — to keep track
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — the tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. root — of a word
  11. ball — a great time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. track — a path
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. track — a song
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wake — before a funeral

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