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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bulb — for light
  3. root — of a plant
  4. track — to keep track
  5. vault — a safe
  6. kid — child
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a song
  10. kid — to tease
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bound — certain
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mine — for digging
  16. track — a path
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. root — the cause
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bound — obliged

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