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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. root — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. object — an aim
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. root — of a word
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. scale — in music
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. root — the cause
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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