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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. root — of a plant
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bound — certain
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. fine — all right
  19. root — the cause
  20. fine — high quality
  21. root — of a word
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. pitcher — a jug

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