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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fall — to drop
  4. track — a path
  5. spring — of water
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. root — the cause
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. track — to keep track
  10. root — of a word
  11. press — newspapers
  12. game — a match
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — the season
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — a song
  19. game — wild animals
  20. press — to push
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spring — the season
  24. root — of a plant

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