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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: cue · toast · track · last · root · hand · net · jam

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. net — in sport
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. last — to go on
  7. root — of a plant
  8. cue — a signal
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. cue — for pool
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. root — the cause
  14. track — a song
  15. toast — bread
  16. root — of a word
  17. last — final
  18. net — after costs
  19. track — a path
  20. track — to keep track
  21. hand — help
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — finally
  24. toast — the most admired

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