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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.

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: spell · bat · rock · root · track · craft · march · cue

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — letters
  4. cue — a signal
  5. track — a song
  6. track — to keep track
  7. root — the cause
  8. bat — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. root — of a word
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. spell — magic
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. root — of a plant
  16. track — a path
  17. rock — a stone
  18. craft — boats
  19. march — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. march — the month

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