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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: track · mate · fall · chip · pit · spell · root · rest

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. root — of a word
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fall — the season
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rest — a break
  9. fall — to drop
  10. mate — a partner
  11. spell — letters
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. spell — a short time
  17. track — a path
  18. spell — magic
  19. track — a song
  20. rest — what's left
  21. root — the cause
  22. track — to keep track
  23. root — of a plant
  24. chip — in a computer

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