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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bowl · coach · game · lean · root · toast · track · present

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. game — wild animals
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. present — a gift
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — of a word
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. lean — thin
  14. root — of a plant
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — there
  18. root — the cause
  19. present — the time now
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. toast — bread
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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