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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. kid — to tease
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kid — child
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. root — of a plant
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. root — the cause
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. charge — a price
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pitch — completely
  20. charge — electricity
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. charge — in control
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pitch — a sports field

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