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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. root — of a plant
  5. last — final
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. capital — a city
  9. wind — moving air
  10. root — of a word
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. capital — money
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. root — the cause
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — finally
  23. last — to go on
  24. squash — the sport

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