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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kid — child
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. season — of the year
  8. root — the cause
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. drill — army training
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — the tool
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. dip — to sink
  21. season — in sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. vault — a safe

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