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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's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. spring — of water
  6. lie — to recline
  7. spring — the season
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. root — the cause
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. root — of a word
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. net — after costs
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. net — in sport
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bat — the animal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. root — of a plant
  23. spring — a coil
  24. net — for catching

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