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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. pound — a weight
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. root — the cause
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cue — a hint
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. root — of a word
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — of a plant

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