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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chest — a box
  5. present — there
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. vault — a safe
  9. root — of a plant
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mate — a friend
  12. game — a match
  13. rush — hurry
  14. root — the cause
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. root — of a word
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. present — the time now
  19. chest — of your body
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mate — to breed
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — of your body

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