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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. root — the cause
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mate — a friend
  8. dip — to sink
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — to breed
  12. track — a path
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — of a word
  15. mate — a partner
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. fork — in a road
  20. root — of a plant
  21. squash — to crush
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. track — a song
  24. squash — the sport

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