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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. root — of a word
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. current — of water
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. current — electric
  10. stock — shares
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stock — goods
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. current — happening now
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. root — the cause
  20. root — of a plant
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cold — not warm

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