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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 120 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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — a path
  3. rock — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. root — of a plant
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. track — a song
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. scale — in music
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. track — to keep track
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. swing — music
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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