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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. root — of a word
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. object — an aim
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. current — electric
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. tube — the underground
  13. root — the cause
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. current — of water
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. current — happening now
  19. season — of the year
  20. object — to protest
  21. object — a thing
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. root — of a plant
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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