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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. drill — a practice
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. root — of a word
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. root — the cause
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cold — not warm
  12. drill — army training
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. drill — the tool
  19. kick — in football
  20. wound — an injury
  21. root — of a plant
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — a container
  24. fan — a supporter

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