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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mouse · last · season · object · root · pitch · tube · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. root — of a word
  3. last — final
  4. root — of a plant
  5. season — of the year
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. object — to protest
  12. season — in sport
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — a thing
  15. track — a song
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. track — a path
  18. last — to go on
  19. root — the cause
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — finally

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