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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. object — a thing
  6. root — of a plant
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. track — a path
  13. root — of a word
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. root — the cause
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — the animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. object — an aim
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ruler — a monarch

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