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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. root — of a word
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rock — music
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rock — a stone
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. capital — a city
  20. root — of a plant
  21. season — of the year
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. capital — money
  24. root — the cause

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