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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: vault · foot · track · squash · kid · bat · root · march

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — to tease
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. march — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. march — the month
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. track — to keep track
  10. squash — to crush
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. track — a song
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. march — the month
  17. squash — the sport
  18. root — of a word
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. root — the cause
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bat — the animal

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