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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: date · game · root · track · land · rule · can · pitcher

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. can — to be able to
  6. date — the fruit
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. game — wild animals
  9. root — the cause
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — government
  12. land — ground
  13. land — a country
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — of a word
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — to come down
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — to keep track
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rule — a law

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