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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 116 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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. root — of a word
  5. bat — the animal
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. last — finally
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. last — final
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. scale — in music

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