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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: stick · lie · track · game · root · cabinet · cold · content

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. track — a song
  7. content — the amount
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lie — to recline
  11. game — wild animals
  12. track — to keep track
  13. root — the cause
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. game — a match
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. root — of a word
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. content — happy
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cold — an illness
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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