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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. track — to keep track
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. dip — to sink
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. root — of a plant
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. root — of a word
  23. track — a song
  24. root — the cause

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