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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. root — of a plant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. root — of a word
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. squash — to crush
  11. root — the cause
  12. cold — an illness
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. march — the month
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. cold — not warm
  24. march — music

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