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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. object — to protest
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. root — the cause
  7. game — a match
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spring — a coil
  11. root — of a plant
  12. spring — of water
  13. root — of a word
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. object — a thing
  16. bat — the animal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. object — an aim
  19. present — a gift
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — there
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. game — wild animals
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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