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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. hand — in cards
  6. last — finally
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. root — of a plant
  10. root — of a word
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — final
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. hand — help
  18. cue — a signal
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chip — to eat
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. row — to paddle
  23. root — the cause
  24. row — a line

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