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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bound — obliged
  3. root — the cause
  4. bound — tied together
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rest — what's left
  13. kid — to tease
  14. root — of a plant
  15. fine — all right
  16. bound — certain
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. root — of a word
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kid — child
  23. rest — a break
  24. wound — an injury

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