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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. root — the cause
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. root — of a word
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. root — of a plant
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — to grow
  10. file — a document
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a tool
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. sharp — clever
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fall — the season

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