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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. current — electric
  5. rest — a break
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. root — of a word
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rest — what's left
  16. current — happening now
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wind — moving air
  20. root — the cause
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bass — low music
  23. root — of a plant
  24. current — of water

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