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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 sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. roll — a list
  3. file — a line of people
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. degree — temperature
  11. toast — bread
  12. game — a match
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — of ice
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — a hat
  18. file — a tool
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. root — the cause
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. degree — from a university
  23. roll — a cake
  24. file — a document

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