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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — an illness
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rule — government
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. rule — a law
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. deal — to handle
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. root — the cause
  24. rule — to rule out

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