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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. ground — crushed
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. swing — in golf
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — to grow
  13. suit — to fit
  14. rule — a law
  15. root — the cause
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — music
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. root — of a plant
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  24. rule — government

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