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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. root — the cause
  7. saw — the tool
  8. track — a song
  9. ground — the earth
  10. hand — help
  11. ground — a position
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. saw — the tool
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. rush — hurry
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — to keep track
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — in cards
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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