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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. track — a path
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. degree — temperature
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. degree — an amount
  13. root — the cause
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — a short time
  16. root — of a plant
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. root — of a word
  19. track — a song
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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