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

Word bank: suit · land · mark · snap · root · rule · present · track

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. snap — to click
  3. root — the cause
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — ground
  6. suit — clothes
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. present — a gift
  9. rule — government
  10. mark — a trace
  11. track — a song
  12. land — to come down
  13. present — there
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. root — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. root — of a word
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. track — a path
  21. present — the time now
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. land — a country

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