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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. root — of a word
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. root — the cause
  7. cell — in biology
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cell — a phone
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. root — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mine — an explosive

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