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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 124 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bay · foot · track · clip · rock · fan · root · chair

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. track — a path
  5. root — the cause
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rock — a stone
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. track — a song
  12. chair — a leader
  13. clip — to cut
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. clip — a video
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. root — of a plant
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. clip — for paper
  20. root — of a word
  21. rock — music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. foot — the bottom
  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