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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cue — a hint
  5. sharp — clever
  6. press — to push
  7. root — of a word
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. root — of a plant
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — to keep track
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — for pool
  16. track — a song
  17. cue — a signal
  18. row — a line
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. root — the cause
  21. press — a publisher
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bear — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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