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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. root — the cause
  7. rest — a break
  8. mate — to breed
  9. root — of a word
  10. chest — of your body
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mate — a friend
  13. game — a match
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. root — of a plant
  16. chest — of your body
  17. pit — in a race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pit — a hole
  23. chest — a box
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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