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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. game — a match
  4. ball — a dance
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. saw — the tool
  8. root — of a word
  9. ball — a great time
  10. saw — the tool
  11. file — a document
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. root — of a plant
  17. date — the fruit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. root — the cause
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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