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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. scale — in music
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bore — to tire
  8. root — of a word
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. root — of a plant
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. scale — size or range
  15. root — the cause
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bore — to drill
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. rush — hurry
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. rush — a thrill

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