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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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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: wind · track · root · cue · face · pound · jam · chip

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wind — moving air
  4. root — of a word
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. track — a song
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. chip — to eat
  11. face — to confront
  12. chip — for betting
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cue — a signal
  20. face — to point toward
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cue — for pool
  24. track — a path

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