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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 120 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — a partner
  4. can — a tin
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. root — of a word
  7. drill — a practice
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. root — the cause
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. can — to be able to
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mate — a friend
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. hand — help
  21. root — of a plant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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