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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. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. stock — shares
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — not warm
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. face — part of the head
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cold — an illness
  10. game — a match
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. nail — for a hammer

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