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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 116 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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. track — a song
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chip — for betting
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. root — the cause
  12. lean — to bend
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ground — a position
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wake — a trail
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. chip — to eat
  24. dip — a sauce

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