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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.

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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: root · track · pass · face · land · fan · fine · pitcher

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. track — a song
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. land — a country
  6. root — of a plant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pass — a permit
  12. land — to come down
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. land — ground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fine — all right
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. root — of a word
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a path
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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