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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 116 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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — of a word
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mate — a friend
  20. root — the cause
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. rest — what's left
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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