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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. track — to keep track
  3. root — the cause
  4. track — a path
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. root — of a plant
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stock — goods
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. file — a line of people
  18. stock — shares
  19. track — a song
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fork — in a road
  23. root — of a word
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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