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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — ground
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pop — to visit
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. charge — electricity
  8. root — the cause
  9. charge — in control
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. pop — music
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. charge — a price
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bark — to shout
  20. date — the fruit
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — of a plant
  24. land — a country

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