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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wind — moving air
  3. root — of a word
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. wind — moving air
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — to go on
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. root — the cause
  15. pitch — completely
  16. last — final
  17. root — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bore — to drill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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