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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — clever
  3. season — in sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. craft — a skill
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. root — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. root — of a word
  16. track — a path
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a song
  19. craft — boats
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. foot — a measure
  22. root — the cause
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. craft — a handicraft

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